


Waiting for my mate

by Veikari



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Absolute Shadow is a good guy, Blind Date, Demons, Drinking, Engagement, Family Issues, Festival, Fluff and Smut, Hangover, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Mating Season, Mpreg, Nightmares, Possessive Behavior, Relatives, Soulmates, Surprises, Who is the next Master?, Zaldevils, big mission, dragon slayer, fraxus, s-class trials, thunder legion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-06-09 12:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 87
Words: 196,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15267075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veikari/pseuds/Veikari
Summary: This is my first fanfic and my first attempt to write something in english. I do not own Fairy Tail. I will do my best to improve myself as a writer. This is Fraxus so if you don't like manxman this is not a story for you. Freed and Laxus centric.Dragon mating season is on and Laxus is waiting for his mate to return back to home from a mission. But things happen...





	1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy day. Truly, water was pouring from the clouds like waterfalls and you could hear thunder rumbling time to time. It made everything kinda gloomy, that was what Lucy thought when she was watching out from the window.

”Is it never going to end?” she wondered as Mira walked over to bring her tea. ”I swear, it's like Gray had ditched Juvia on a date or something.”

”I hope that's not it”, Mira chuckled. ”How are things going with Natsu?” she asked knowingly, making Lucy blush.

”W-well...” she stammered and tried to act like there was no fire dragonslayer sleeping on the couch, head on her lap. ”Fine, I guess?”

”Still clingy?”

”Yes... But I'm getting used to it.”

”That's good”, Mira smiled. ”Don't worry, season won't last forever, only couple of weeks. Just make sure to use protection”, she smirked, making Lucy blush fiercely yet again.

”I-it's not like we're doing it or something...” she said quickly.

”Oh?” Mira asked tilting her head slightly.

”No! Of course not! He's just clingy, that's all!”

”Really? Then I guess the season won't affect him that much”, Mira smiled. ”He's a lucky one. I guess then Gajeel won't be that bad either with Levy. Maybe it's their age. But then Laxus...” she muttered and glanced at the blond dragonslayer, who was sitting on his and the Thunder Legions usual table. Lucy followed her gaze and immediately she felt chills on her spine.

Laxus looked absolutely terrifying! His eyes were shut, but you could feel how anger and frustration was slowly building up inside him. Tiny sparks were emmitted in short, blond hair. He was ignoring everything and everyone, just listening his headphones.

”He is... really scary...” Lucy gulbed. ”Is it because the mating season?”

”Most likely”, Mira nodded. ”Laxus is few years older than Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy. It seems like it hits him harder.”

”But I'm so glad it won't affect Wendy yet”, Lucy sighted in relief. ”And thankfully it only happens once in every ten years. Laxus just had bad luck, being older than others.”

She glanced over lightning dragonslayer again.

”So why is he like that? Doesn't he have a mate?” she asked, now a little bit curious.

”He has”, Mira said smiling. ”He's waiting. It's been already a week since the season started and his mate hasn't arrived back to Guild.”

”So... You and him are not...?” Lucy asked, making Mira chuckle.

”No, we are not a thing”, she laughed.

”Is it Cana then?”

”No.”

”Lisanna?” Lucy wondered.

”Never”, Mira laughed. ”You'll see soon, they should arrive at any minute now.”

”They? So... You mean it's someone from the Thunder Legion?” Lucy gasped and Mira nodded. ”It's Freed! I knew it!” yellow haired girl giggled exitedly.

”We all knew they would happen eventually”, Mira laughed. ”I'm sure Laxus would have left to find him a long time ago, but he doesn't know where he is on a mission currently. So now he's just waiting for him to come back. He's been here every day, from early morning to late night.”

”But are you sure about it?” Lucy asked, tousling her fingers through the pink hair as Natsu muttered something in his sleep. ”I mean, he could be waiting for someone else...”

”I'll show you”, Mira said with a little bit evil smile, heading back to the bar.

Lucy followed how Mira took drinks on her tray and left to serve. She stopped near Laxus, who didn't care what happened around. White haired mage spoke happily with Levy and Gajeel for a moment, smirked a little and suddenly said ”Freed!” a little louder so Laxus could hear it.

Lucy flinched as Laxus immediately turned his head towards guild doors, she could see enthusiasm in his orange eyes. Then there were confusion, disappointment and finally, as you can guess, anger. Lucy couldn't help but giggle, even if she could hear all the way in there how Laxus was growling when he realised Mira was messing with him. That was just too funny. Maybe a little childish joke, but still funny.

Oh, it was clear as a day. Laxus really was head over heels for Freed. But that was good, since everyone knew that Freed had it as bad for Laxus.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Mira kept serving beer and other drinks and talked with her guildmates. It was actually a rather peaceful and quiet day, just like other days since the season started. Natsu and Gajeel only wanted to snuggle with their mates and Gray was on a mission with Juvia, Erza and Wendy. Cana of course was drinking and asking someone to join her, but it was so usual you hardly noticed it anymore.

So when Laxus suddenly stood up with chair clattering, almost everyone noticed it. ' _Oh, Freed must be approaching the Guild_ ' Mira chuckled to herself. But she was a bit surprised when she saw the look on Laxus' face. He looked angry yeah, but that was normal. But also a little bit worried.

”Laxus, is something wrong?” she asked kindly from the lightning dragonslayer.

He said nothing, just stood there watching the doors closely. For a minute the Guild was filled with silence and little more than tiny noices, someone shifting on their seat or lifting their drinks.

”Why's he not with them?” Laxus growled suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

Mira was about to ask him what he meant, when the doors opened. Bickslow and Evergreen came inside the Guild Hall, soaking wet.

”This... is the worst possible time to walk outside”, Evergreen complained taking her glasses off for a moment so she could dry them with her handkerchief.

”Without Freed's runes it would have been even worse”, Bickslow grinned, not that much bothered by the rain. ”Oh! Laxus, baby, how's it hanging?” he greeted their boss.

”Where's Freed?” Laxus snarled cutting short the needless chitchat.

”Man, you're as lovely as a snapping turtle poked with a sharp stick today, aren't you?” Bickslow laughed.

”Snap! Snap!” his Tiki dolls chanted hoovering over Laxus.

”Just answer”, Laxus ordered.

”He went home, wanted to change his clothes”, Bickslow said and was almost shoved out of the way by the blond man. ”Did something happen?” man with a helmet wondered when Laxus disappeared from the Guild. ”Is Freed in trouble?”

”Trouble? Poor Freed!” his dolls sighed.

”Well, you could say so”, Mira smiled.

They sat down and Mira told them all that had happened in the past week while they had been on a mission.

”So... Laxus has a massive boner for Freed?” Bickslow said grinning.

”Ooooh!” the dolls giggled.

”And now he's going to find him and -” the seith mage chuckled, but Mira quickly interrupted him saying:

”Bickslow, please!”

”What? It's a beautiful lovestory about a gay dragon and a gay demon! How can that not be interesting?”

Evergreen smiled thinking how happy Freed was going to be. That green haired rune mage had been following Laxus like a puppy for years! But he never mustered enough courage to ask him out on a date.

Date...

”Bicks”, Ever said, suddenly terrified.

”Baby?” Bickslow said tilting his head, dolls following his lead.

”Date... Laxus is on his way to find Freed and Freed is...” Ever stuttered trembling.

First Bickslow was confused, but then it dawned upon him.

”Oh... fuck...” he gasped with fear in his voice, face white as a sheet.

”What's the matter?” Lucy asked joining in the conversation, pushing Natsu off her lap so she could come closer.

”Well we... We kinda... Ever and I happened to meet Rufus Lore. You remember, that memory mage with the ridiculous feather hat?”

”Freed has been feeling so down lately, we set him up on a blind date with Rufus and he's meeting him today”, Ever sighted.

”Now that you mention it, they do seem like a perfect couple”, Lucy mused.

”I'm not sure Laxus will see it that way”, Mira worried.

”And Laxus being like he is right now...”, Bickslow gulped. ”He's going to fucking murder that masked memory clown!”

”Clown! Dead clown!” totems squeaked, trembling behind their master.

”Hell! With a storm out there right now, he's going to destroy the whole city!” Ever shouted.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Freed opened a door to the house where the Thunder Legion lived. There were three floors. Bedrooms on the second floor with smaller bathroom and on the first floor the kitchen, livingroom and a bigger bathroom. Third floor was actually a small attic room where Bicslow lived. It wasn't a big house, but it was enough for them. It was their home. There was one downside to it though.

Laxus didn't live there.

Freed sighed and took off his boots and his coat. His lovely, beautiful red coat that was now muddy, soaking wet and almost completely ripped. And that was all thanks to Bickslow. Oh well, water under the bridge, Bickslow was genuinely sorry and promised to pay for it's restoration. Freed was never one to hold a grudge against his friends.

Green haired mage just put his coat on the hanger to wait and went to the bathroom. He stripped out of his muddy clothes and put them into the laundry basket. It was Evergreen's turn to do laundry today, but let's face it. She didn't do any housework if she only could avoid them in any way, like staying at the Strauss siblings house most of the time. Freed Sighed and stepped into the shower.

Ah, the smell of lavender in his shampoo was enticing and the sweet smell of honey on his body wash was just delightful after a long week on a mission.

After the shower he wrapped a bathrobe around him and used a little bit of his magic, so his long hair would dry faster and settle down. He tied his hair from the bottom, lightning bolt cowlicks sprang up proudly on the sides of his head and Freed smiled with a nod of approval. He opened a closet in his room and found new clothes to wear. His usual pants and a white silk shirt and an ascot scarf.

But Freed sighed sadly when he took another coat out of the closed. It was nice, sure. But it wasn't his old, comfortable and reliable red coat. This one was deep purple, long and with high collar and some small golden marks.

He put it on and buttoned it up. So now he was ready to go out. He wasn't actually thrilled about the whole idea of a blind date. But Bickslow and Evergreen were so excited for him so... It wouldn't kill him to actually meet this person. To at least tell him face to face that his heart was already reserved for someone else.

Someone who would never love him the way Freed loved him... Freed knew this very well and he never expected Laxus to return his feelings. No, he was happy to just be by his side, see how happy Laxus was with his family and friends, see his Thunder God as much as possible.

He stepped out of the house and locked the door. Then he drew some runes in the air and disappeared.

 

Only about five minutes later Laxus arrived at the front door. He could smell Freed with his sensitive sense of smell, the lavender shampoo and the honey body wash. Damn, where the hell did Freed go?! And why?!

Laxus gritted his teeth and air around him started to spark. Freed was always somewhere near to be found but this was the one fucking time he decided to go somewhere without telling anyone?! And using his teleport to prevent soaking, so Laxus couldn't even follow the scent! What was he supposed to do? Walk around Magnolia just hoping that he'd find Freed's scent?

Blond growled silently, narrowing his eyes. So... _why_ exactly would Freed go out when the weather was as bad as it is? The rune mage wouldn't do something like that without a good reason... And right after they returned from a mission? So was he meeting someone? Maybe...

”Fuck it!” Laxus shouted furiously when even thinking about the possibility of Freed going on a date with another man.

He turned around, returning back to the street and some of the lightbulbs on nearest lamp posts exploded. He would not let HIS Freed meet some weak unknown douchebag! Freed was his mate and only his to be loved! He would make sure Freed would understand that for the rest of his life and couldn't ever be satisfied by anyone else...

 


	4. Chapter 4

Freed teleported right in front of the coffeehouse and sighed to himself. Little bell dingled when the door opened and he stepped inside. So, how was he supposed to find his date if he didn't even know what he looked like?

”Mr. Justine”, a soft voice said suddenly almost startling Freed.

He turned to look at the man who spoke. Long blond hair, big red brimmed hat with feathers and most noticeable, red mask covering half of the man's face.

”Rufus Lore”, Freed said with a polite nod. He remembered the man from the Grand Magic Games.

Rufus stood up and went around the table, standing right in front of Freed.

”It is my pleasure to finally meet you and talk face to face”, he said with a smile.

”Pleasure is all mine”, Freed assured. ”So you are my date?”

”Yes, isn't that pleasant? I sure have been waiting for a chance to properly introduce myself to you in person”, Rufus chuckled. ”Please, do sit down”, he said offering a chair.

Freed raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing and just sat down. Rufus took a chair right across from him. Freed decided he did not like how Rufus treated him, he wasn't a woman for Mavi's sake!

”So, do you mind telling me what you would like to do on this date?” blond mage proposed. ”Theater? Sightseeing? Delicious dinner in the evening...?” Rufus said with a little sly smirk on his face. Freed sighed and rolled his eyes.

”I'm really sorry to disappoint you, mr. Lore -”, he started.

”Please, call me Rufus.”

”Rufus... As I was saying, I don't think this dating could work out”, Freed apologised. ”I came here today simply to not have you stood up, that would have been rude. And I agreed to this blind date only to cheer up Evergreen and Bickslow, since they were so worried about me.”

”I guessed that much”, Rufus smiled, what surprised Freed.

”You did?”

”Yes. I have seen you before a couple of times, Freed. And everytime you were with that big blond dragonslayer”, Rufus explained and poured some tea for Freed from the teapot he already had ordered for the table. ”One with the big scar on his face, always looking grumpy and annoyed about everything, not at all sophisticated -”

”Please do not talk about him like that”, Freed grunted now irritated. Rufus didn't even know Laxus and talked like he could possibly read him like an open book! Laxus was not that simple a person. Certainly someone like this obviously egocentric memory mage could never see that.

”I'm sorry if I acted improperly”, Rufus apologised quickly, but his smile never faded from his lips. That arrogant, selfcentric smile that made Freed want to leave as soon as possible. ”I really am sorry, Freed”, Rufus assured. ”I do not want to be your enemy and I can see that Laxus Dreyar is someone with great value for you. And I have to admit, he is someone I do not want to encounter in a battle.”

”You would never survive it”, Freed stated without hesitation.

”I would lie if I said otherwise”, Rufus chuckled. ”He is strong.”

”And not stupid, keep that on your mind.”

”Memorized”, Rufus vowed with smile.

”Good”, Freed said and was finally starting to relax little bit. He took his teacup since Rufus already had poured him some tea and it would be impolite to waste it.

”Could you tell me something about yourself?” Rufus asked with curiosity.

”Myself?”

”Anything you want, I'm not going to force you to tell me anything but I would be flattered to hear something”, Rufus smiled.

Freed sighed. He should have known that Rufus wouldn't give up so easily. He was that kind of man.

”I don't know what I could possibly tell”, the green haired mage said. ”There is not much to say.”

”Of course there is”, Rufus said smiling. ”I can see that you have passion when you start something and you are a wise man. It takes a lot to actually be able to use rune magic the way you do, I believe.”

Freed knew this was something Rufus would say probably anyone who he was dating, but... Still he felt flattered. He just needed to remember that Rufus was a sweet talker and Freed shouldn't let himself be fooled by it.

”Thank you”, he said. ”Actually it does take much to use rune magic. Not that much of magic, but knowledge. You must know exactly what you want and even one tiny mistake can be fatal. It all depends on what you want. And rules are absolute”, he said with small smile.

”And you follow rules no matter what”, Rufus hummed. ”That is what I have heard.”

”That is correct”, Freed stated.

”So it occurs with date rules too, of course?”

”Wait what?” Freed said surprised his gaze snapped back to Rufus from his teacup.

”Date rules”, Rufus smirked and leaned his chin on his hand. ”Never heard of them?”

”No...” Freed said slowly. How could he have? He never went on dates! This was totally new information and he wasn't sure he liked it even though he didn't know what the rules were.

 


	5. Chapter 5

So... According to Rufus, there were date rules. But what were they? Freed had never heard of them before! Well he never dated before so how could he know something like that? And of course, were there really some actual rules or was Rufus just making them up? To prevent him from leaving? Why would Rufus even want to date him that badly?

”Freed?” Rufus said and Freed snapped back from his thoughts.

”Yes?” he asked.

”So you don't know the date rules?” Rufus smirked and Freed was not feeling comfortable. Like always when he didn't know something he should.

”No I do not”, he confessed.

”Then I better fill you up with that knowledge”, Rufus hummed with a nod. ”You have done good job this far. Showing up in time is first rule”, he said.

”Obviously”, Freed sneered. ”Even I understand that.”

”Second rule is to be polite to your date. You are never nothing less than polite”, Rufus smiled. ”That is one of your beautiful traits.”

”Well, you are such a sweet talker yourself”, Freed laughed dryly.

”Why thank you”, the blond mage smiled obviously not caring of the tiny hint of sarcasm in Freed's voice. ”Third rule is about sharing expenses. Usually the one who asks out is the one paying and people also often assume that man should pay. But since this is a blind date and we're both males, sharing is more practical.”

”I agree”, Freed nodded.

”But I would be honoured if I could take care of the payment”, Rufus offered. ”As a gift.”

”I normally wouldn't even consider accepting something like that but if you insist”, Freed allowed.

”Good. Fourth rule: Gifts”, Rufus grinned insidiously.

”There is a rule for gifts?” Freed asked surprised. Wait... Did Rufus just...

”Sure there is”, the masked mage said. ”Since we decided we would share on this date it's just fair that I can have a gift from you as well”, he smiled.

”You set me up”, Freed muttered now annoyed. ”You took advantage of me not knowing the rules.”

”I would never ask something vulgar no need to be worried”, Rufus assured.

”So what do you want then?”

”Another date. Nothing more.”

”I'm not going to change my mind”, the rune mage said determined and crossed his arms over his chest. ”I told you, I already have someone I love deeply. Another date would not change that fact.”

”Maybe not”, Rufus said leaning back. ”Who knows? Has Laxus ever showed any interest in you sexually?”

”No.”

”Asked you out?”

”No.”

”Showed any signs at all that you are more than just a dear friend to him?” Rufus tormented ruthlessly and Freed was starting to feel uneasy again.

”How is any of this your business if I may ask?” he snarled.

”I'm trying to help you, my dear Freed”, Rufus assured twirling strands of blond hair in his fingers. ”If you keep this up you will only hurt yourself.”

”Then be it that way”, Freed decided shutting his turquoise eyes. ”I have devoted myself to Laxus years ago and I know he will never love me the way I love him but it doesn't matter. As long as Laxus is happy, I'm happy too.”

He groaned.

”But rule is a rule”, he muttered looking at Rufus. ”And I don't break rules so say when you want to have our second date.”

Rufus was just about to suggest something, when suddenly he looked out of the window. Freed followed his gaze and was surprised to see a familiar character running towards the coffeehouse. Freed stood up when Bickslow crashed in and the little bell almost ripped off from its place above the door.

”Bicks, what is the matter?” the rune mage asked worried. ”Didn't you go to the Guild with Evergreen?”

”I did, I did”, Bickslow panted and lifted his helmet wiping water off his face. ”Man, I'm glad I got here in time!”

”What? Why?”

”No time to explain baby, just leave this place at once!” Bickslow cried out, making other customers stare at them.

”Leave! Leave!” his dolls chanted.

”Bicks, calm down”, Freed said putting his hand on his friends shoulder. ”Did something bad happen at the Guild? Is everyone alright?” he asked as Rufus stood up too and came closer.

”Can I offer my help in anyway?” he asked.

”Oh yes, you can”, Bickslow snorted. ”Leave this city as fast as you can.”

”Bickslow! That's just rude!” Freed scolded.

”If he values his life he should run and run fast”, Bickslow stated.

”What?” Rufus asked confused. Bickslow was one who asked him to go blind date with Freed, so why the sudden change of mind?

”It's a little bit complicated story but you really, really should leave. Like, right now”, Bickslow recommended quickly. ”Laxus might appear here any minute!”

”Laxus?” Freed asked puzzled and was even more confused and concerned ”What Laxus has to do with this? Is he okay?”

”You guys are really driving me crazy here! I already told you that you should -”

Bickslow slammed his mouth shut. They all could feel it. How the air tingled and sparked slightly. Freed could feel how his hair stood up because of the static electricity in the air and same happened to Rufus.

”Oh fuck”, Bickslow yelped. ”He's near.”

”Boom!” Tiki dolls shrieked.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

He found Freed's scent finally. What the heck was his captain doing in here? He could also smell other customers from the coffeeshop. And to his surprise Bickslow. What was he doing here with Freed? Last time he saw the seith mage he was at the Guild.

Laxus growled low standing on the roof of the building and couldn't care less about the rain. He knew Freed wasn't dating Bickslow for sure. And he could smell Bickslow's scent from the street so fresh, he had got to have arrived here only minutes ago.

There was third scent that made Laxus feel more rage building up inside, causing more lightning to strike from the skies. Whose scent was it? It smelled somewhat familiar from somewhere but he was not sure why. Kinda like books, feathers and some shitty shampoo and a snobbish perfume.

 

Inside the coffeehouse everyone had frozen to their spot, scared of what was going to happen next.

”Bicks”, Freed whispered finally. ”Why is Laxus acting like this?”

”So you noticed he is angry?” Bickslow said trying to make light of the situation and failing miserably.

”Be as short with the explanation as you possibly can”, Freed said frowning at the blue haired man.

”Okay, okay... I guess I have to but you asked it, baby”, Bickslow said. ”Here's the deal: Dragonslayers have a mating season going on right now, has been for a week already and it will continue at least another week.”

”M-mating...” Freed stuttered suddenly blushing and Rufus was now listening amused. ”S-so... What? Laxus is roaming around the city trying to find his mate?” Freed asked when he finally somewhat composed himself. ”Because...”

”Because he's horny as hell”, Bickslow snickered. ”That's why.”

”Oh”, Rufus said suddenly realizing something. ”So that's why Sting and Rogue were so... well... It's not like we didn't know how they felt about each other but lets say we were still surprised”, he chuckled.

”There is nothing funny about this situation, Rufus”, Freed snapped. At least not to him. Laxus was looking for his mate, the one who probably would share the rest of her life with him. Of course he only wanted Laxus' happiness, but this still crushed his heart into little shards.

But he would never show it to anyone. He would bury his feelings towards the blond dragonslayer deep inside his heart and never show anything else than his everlasting loyalty and support. And whoever Laxus' mate might be he would support and help her too in any way possible. No matter how much his heart might hurt.

”What should we do?” he asked now calm again. ”Is he dangerous to anyone?”

”Could be”, Bicks shrugged. ”But I guess only for those who are a threat to him or his mate. Or, you know, date his mate”, he grinned.

”Should we try to capture him or something like that? So he won't cause any damage?” Freed pondered and Bickslow sighed rolling his eyes. Seriously? This guy should be a freaking genius and yet he could still be this dumb?

Rufus suddenly glanced at Bickslow with a surprised look in his eyes and the seith mage nodded.

”I see...” blond haired man muttered. Yes, he was disappointed and yet still he was also little glad for the rune mage. All those years of devoting himself to Laxus were not in vain.

”Freed, we really must get out of here”, Bickslow said. ”To the Guild or somewhere else safe. And Rufus should return back to the Sabertooth.”

”I can see that would be the best solution”, Rufus nodded. Guess he had to give up on the second date with Freed. He didn't want to end up being grilled by lightning.

”Freed, could you use your runes and hide our scents?” Bickslow suggested. ”So we can use the backdoor and Laxus won't notice us?”

”Sure, but why would -” Freed started but Bickslow interrupted:

”Baby just do it, trust me with this”, he said and the serious tone in his voice made Freed go silent. Finally, he just nodded and unsheathed his sword.

He drew the runes in the air and for a moment purple letters surrounded them before they disappeared.

”It is done”, he said.

”Good, now let's get out”, Bickslow said.

”Get out!” his dolls demanded.

 

Laxus was still waiting on the roof watching nonstop at the coffeehouse. Freed, Bickslow and that third person were still lingering inside. Was Bickslow explaining his situation to Freed? He would definitely kick Bickslow's ass if he was trying to convince Freed to not meet him. He would find his rune mage and talk to him no matter what. He wanted to hug Freed, snuggle with him, sink his nose in his green hair and inhale that overwhelmingly delicious odor until he would forget everything else existed in this world. He would not force Freed into anything but... He sure did hope his captain wouldn't refuse him.

Laxus sniffed the air and his orange eyes widened in stunned realization. He couldn't sense their scent anymore!

Street stones rumbled and shattered when the angry dragonslayer landed heavily on the road and lightning scorched everything around him. Freed used his magic to hide their scent. Was it because of Bickslow or that perfume using dumbass? The hell with it, he would just punch them both senseless and that's that.

Laxus walked past the coffeehouse glancing inside the windows but he didn't see Freed or the others, only some terrified customers. They must have used the backdoor to get out. Laxus growled and with one shattering flash he was back on the roofs. In some strange way Laxus was also feeling exitement when hunting his mate like this. It was quite arousing and a wide hungry grin revealed sharp fangs.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Freed, Bickslow and Rufus dashed through the streets of Magnolia, mostly staying in the narrow alleys and in the shadows. Suddenly Freed stopped causing Bickslow to almost run over him.

”What now, baby?” the seith mage asked quickly and scanned the roofs expecting to see Laxus' huge figure staring at them.

”The air”, Freed said. ”Storm is not over but the lightning has stopped almost completely.”

”Maybe we lost him?”

”Lost him! Lost him!” his dolls chanted with joy.

”You should know Laxus is not someone you can lose simply by running around the alleys”, Freed reminded sharply. ”No matter if he can smell us or not.”

”Dragonslayers have also sensitive hearing”, Rufus pointed out. 

”If I should guess... I think he is prowling”, Freed said. ”If he is really determined to find us.”

”He is”, Bickslow assured.

”Then he is stalking us like a cat stalks it's prey”, Freed pondered. ”Just waiting for the right moment to strike and keep himself hidden until then.”

”He's more like a pissed off tiger or something. Tiger with the lightning magic and all”, Bickslow muttered shivering.

”In any case, he is after us and I do believe he is not that far. He might be just few corners behind us or even waiting for us somewhere ahead. So what we need to do now is to form somekind of a plan. When he finds us how do we stop him? Where should we go?”

”Maybe you could stop him with one of your traps?” Bickslow suggested.

”I don't have enough time to write runes for a trap that could hold him”, Freed said shaking his head. ”So that won't work. And I figure we shouldn't attack him directly. We all would end up in the Guild's infirmary.”

”I'm pretty sure not all of us...” Rufus chuckled quietly.

”There is one thing I do not understand at all”, Freed said frowning. ”Why exactly is he after us?”

”Geez, what a mystery”, Bickslow snorted and Rufus laughed. Freed just got even more confused because of their behavior and it annoyed him. ”Are you actually that dense or are you just pulling our legs?”

”Bicks, you are really starting to get on my nerves”, Freed warned.

”Fine, baby. I'll explain this to you as simply as possible so use that super brain of yours and try to follow, okay?”

”Okay? Okay?” his dolls said and Freed nodded.

” _You're his mate_!” Bickslow almost shouted right into Freeds ear.

Silence surrounded them as Freed stared at his old friend with confusion, disbelief and astonishment on his face all at the same time. Not even remembering to scold Bicks about making his ears ring by yelling or that he might reveal their location to Laxus.

”W-what?” he finally blurted and he still couldn't believe what he had just heard.

”Finally starting to put some pieces together, eh? Laxus is looking for you. And he's not going to be pleased when he finds out you were on a date with Rufus.”

”B-but... I-it's not like we... It was just a blind date”, Freed stuttered and still he couldn't believe what was going on. Laxus... He was Laxus' mate?!

”Like he could care less”, Bickslow said with a smirk. ”Our boss don't wanna share you. Sorry Rufus, we didn't know the situation here when we suggested the blind date”, he said looking at the blond mage.

”No need to apologize”, Rufus assured. ”But if we keep on just standing here, Laxus is sure to find us.”

”Yeah, that's right”, Bicks said. ”Freed, what do you wanna do?”

”Huh?” Freed asked blinking his eyes. ”I... I don't know?” He was more than delighted to hear he was Laxus' mate, it was like a dream come true for him! But... ”He's not acting normal, right?” Freed asked.

”Well, not according to the Master and others. He has just been waiting for you this whole week and not even talking with others.”

”Just growling! Rawr!” Tiki dolls said.

”So it might be that this is not what Laxus actually wants”, Freed said slowly. ”He is not thinking rationally.”

”Freed, the fuck you're saying?” Bickslow whined. ”Isn't this exactly what you've always wanted?”

”Of course”, Freed said without hesitation. ”It's everything that I could even dare to dream. But when this... mating season is over maybe Laxus will regret it?” he sighed. It was harsh and cruel but still true. How could they possibly know how Laxus would react after the season? ”Even if this is what I have wanted more than anything in the world it is not fair to Laxus.”

”No baby! No! You're starting to overthink this!” Bickslow cried out loud shaking his shorter friend.

”Stop! Bad Freed!” dolls scolded circling around them.

”Bicks, stop!” Freed said and shoved his hands off. ”You know I'm right. When he is back to his senses -”

”Shut up! You're his mate! He's been waiting for you this whole week and you know he is not exactly the most patient man, right?” Bickslow reminded. ”If he really wanted someone else do you honestly think he would have waited all this time?” he asked now serious.

Freed couldn't say anything to that and just opened and closed his mouth.

”Thought so”, Bickslow said grinning. ”So don't get analysis paralysis, okay?”

”How do you even know what that means?” Freed wondered.

”'Cause you're my friend, duh. And overthinking is one of your favorite hobbies.”

Freed sighed but now he chuckled a little amused.

”I guess you're right”, he granted.

”Of course I'm right so just accept it and lets get this ship sailing”, Bickslow cackled.

”So what is the plan now? Should I just go and talk to Laxus?” Freed asked.

”Ehh... not sure”, Bicks said what made Freed conserned. ”Well, we don't know what Laxus would do. I mean we don't believe he would hurt you or something but he's now kind of unpredictable. In more dragonlike way.”

”Like he is in some kind of bestial mode now?” Rufus asked.

”Oh yeah, you're still here too. I don't know, maybe? Master just told me to find you guys and try to take you somewhere safe.”

”Maybe we should head to the Guild then?” Freed suggested. ”It is not that far from where we are now and Master and the others are there so maybe Laxus will refrain from causing ruckus?”

”I should probably head to the train station”, Rufus said.

”It's more than likely that Laxus already knows you and Freed met in the coffeehouse”, Bicks said. ”Don't know if he can guess why you two met there, but if he finds you first but Freed is not with you and he has somekind of idea what was going on...”

”It might get problematic”, Rufus muttered. ”To the Fairy Tail Guild then?”

”Yeah”, Bicks said and they started moving again.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

At the Guild Makarov was already waiting for them.

”You are safe, that's good” the short old man said relieved when the trio opened doors.

”Master, it is good to see you are doing well”, Freed smiled. Maybe their old Master was not how he used to be, but regardless he was still their Master and it always somehow felt safer when he was around, no matter what was happening.

”You too my boy. Luckily Bickslow managed to find you before Laxus did. Rufus, welcome to the Fairy Tail Guild house”, Makarov said looking at the memory mage.

”It is my pleasure to have a chance to visit, Master Makarov”, Rufus smiled and bowed his head.

”I'm sorry you had to get involved in this but who could have guessed things to turn out like they did”, Makarov sighed. ”Now we just have to do our best to avoid conflicts.”

”It is desolate over here”, Freed noticed. He could only see Ever, Mirajane, Cana, Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel and Levy in the Guild Hall.

”I send others home”, Makarov explained and sat on the table. ”It's better this way. We hope Laxus won't do anything stupid like attack us but if he does they can stop him.”

”Should I use my runes?” Freed volunteered.

”No, Freed. You better stay sharp just in case.”

”Are we going to do this as long as the season continues?” Freed asked. ”I do not believe we can avoid Laxus that long.”

”And he will most likely grow angrier and fast, 'cause now he knows Freed is in Magnolia and we won't let him get near his lovely mate”, Bickslow said with grin. ”He can't ravish him.”

”Bickslow!” Freed shouted his face burning red. ”Laxus would not do something like that!”

”Who knows, he's a horny dragon right now”, the seith mage cackled. ”He wants to grab you and drag you in to his lair and -”

”Could you please stop!”

”Can't wait another ten years when Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy will act like him too”, Bickslow chuckled. ”Man, that's going to be chaotic!”

Purple runes appeared around Bickslow trapping him inside and muffling his voice. Freed sighed and rubbed his temples irritated.

”You're going to stay there for a while”, the green haired mage said.

”Rather practical magic”, Rufus complimented. He turned to look at Makarov. ”Is there any way how I could slip to the train station without Laxus seeing me?”

”We'll figure something out”, Makarov promised.

”Master”, Gajeel said coming closer. ”We can smell Sparky. He's coming closer.”

”So he figured out where we went”, Freed sighed. ”Let's just hope this won't get messy.”

”Right now we have absolutely no idea how things will turn out”, Makarov shrugged. ”Let's just hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Laxus stared at the big building in front of him. If he knew his mate at all – and he did know him well – this was the place where they would go. Freed would come up with a plan and part of that plan would be finding a place that was safe. Runes still prevent him from smelling Freed, Bickslow and that douchebag, but he was sure they were here.

Blond dragonslayer stepped in front of the doors and grabbed the doorhandle. He swung the doors open and looked around. Not many guildmates were present but he didn't care about that. He was a little bit surprised to see Rufus here, but he could guess the memory mage was the mysterious third scent he hated so much.

Laxus stopped when his gaze met with turquoise eyes. Freed... It felt like years since he saw him last time. Freed smiled but he also looked worried. Why? Was he scared of him? He needed to assure his mate that he would never hurt him. Nobody would hurt Freed, not as long as he was around.

”Laxus”, Makarov said and Laxus' gaze snapped to his grandpa, emitting little sparkles on his skin. ”There's no need to feel cautious. We are your family and we won't hurt you or Freed.”

”I know that”, Laxus snarled. ”I'm not stupid. But I'm not interested speaking with you guys one bit, nor fighting you or whatever. And I'm not going to hurt Freed if that's what you're worried about. I haven't lost my mind.”

”I'm glad you're this calm”, Makarov said. ”We have no reason to fight each other.”

”But why is that snob here?” Laxus grunted pointing at Rufus who flinched.

”He's just visiting. He had some business in Magnolia and decided to drop by”, Makarov lied casually.

”He was with Freed at the coffeehouse”, Laxus said and his eyes darkened with anger as he recalled it.

”Laxus”, Freed said now and he got the blond's entire attention to himself right away. ”It was nothing serious. It wasn't something you should feel threathened about.”

”I know you wouldn't lie to me, Freed”, Laxus said and his voice was softer now, almost like purring. ”You'd never do that. Why did you two meet at the coffeehouse?”

Silence set on the Guild Hall. Everyone looked careful as they waited what Freed would say.

”You're right, I would never lie to you”, the rune mage finally spoke. ”It was a blind date.”

Sparking filled the hall immediately. It didn't actually hurt anyone, but it tingled and was scary as hell. Laxus' eyes didn't leave Freed's eyes even for a second and he didn't move a muscle. But Freed refused to be scared of his Thunder God. Laxus was still hot-headed but he wasn't anything like he used to be once and he would listen before judging.

”Blind date?”

”Bicks and Ever arranged it”, Freed explained. ”But they didn't know that you... I mean... We had no idea about this whole situation”, he muttered and now he was blushing. Laxus couldn't help but think that Freed looked so damn adorable his cheeks flushed like that. ”Nor did Rufus.”

”Would you want to go on the second date with him?” Laxus asked.

”No! I told him that I only arrived there so I could politely turn him down”, Freed assured.

”That is correct”, Rufus agreed.

”Shut the fuck up you dandy little shit”, Laxus grunted glaring at Rufus ”I'm talking to my mate. You were not going to meet that dumbass again?” he asked from Freed.

”No”, Freed answered. ”Well we did talk about it, but I'm sure we can settle things so the second date is not going to happen.” He had agreed to it only because of the gift rule, but he was pretty sure Rufus wouldn't push his luck with Laxus.

”Good. Now I don't have to kill him. But I will sure as hell kick his ass if he won't run away from here right now. That is a warning.”

”And it's noted, right Rufus?” Makarov said and he was really relieved that everything went so smoothly.

”Then I better start leaving”, Rufus nodded. ”Well, no matter what it was a pleasure to meet you, Freed”, he smiled and was reaching out his hand for a shake.

That was enough.

Laxus was next to Rufus in a second and large fist blasted the long haired mage on across the bar breaking tables and chairs. Everyone was startled at first but they stood up fast and they positioned themselves between Laxus and Rufus.

”Laxus!” Freed yelled. ”He was not going to cause any trouble!”

”I already gave him a fair warning”, Laxus growled and suddenly he grabbed his arms around Freed. ”I won't let him touch you. You're mine”, he murmured and was finally able to sink his face in the green hair. ”Undo the runes.”

Freed froze to his spot, nodded and let the runes vanish and Laxus inhaled his odor. Freed smelled so good. It soothed his anger and the electricity faded from the air. Even the storm clouds slowly calmed down and now it was just raining outside.

Freed turned his head and take a look at his Thunder God. This still felt unbelievable for him. Many times he had been thinking what it would feel like to have Laxus hold him like this. It was simply marvelous.

”What about if you two go home?” Ever finally suggested breaking the silence. ”We'll take care of Rufus, it seems like he will stay alive”, she chuckled looking at Rufus who was now standing up with Lucy and Levy helping him. ”We will patch him up and help him back to his home to rest.”

”You better”, Laxus growled. ”If he's still here in this town after two hours, I'm going to hurt him seriously.”

”Calm down”, Freed said. ”You don't need to hurt anyone.”

”Keep him in control, Freed”, Makarov chuckled. ”I knew it was a right decision to ask you to keep an eye on him years ago.”

”Master”, Freed said with smile. He remembered that day well, it was one of the best days in his life. Of course this day was by far greatest day ever.

”Let's go, Freed”, Laxus murmured. ”I'm tired of being here.”

Freed nodded and stepped outside with Laxus. His head was spinning and he didin't even notice the rain that was once again soaking them wet. He just didn't care. Nothing could bring him down when his dragonslayer was walking next to him, holding his hand as if he was scared that Freed would run away or disappear or something. Freed felt himself so precious and his heart almost burst of all the love he felt towards Laxus.

”Don't go anywhere without telling me first”, Laxus said suddenly. ”It felt awful when I went to your house and couldn't find you. And I couldn't follow your scent 'cause you used teleport.”

”I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you”, Freed said with a small smile. ”I was going to quickly get that date over with so I could go to the Guild and... well, see you again.” he confessed blushing slightly.

”Still, I want you to tell me if you need to go somewhere”, Laxus said.

”I will, Laxus.”

”Good.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

”Where's your red coat?” Laxus suddenly asked looking at the purple long coat the swordsman was wearing. 

”It needs repairing”, Freed explained. ”I had to take this, since it is cold out here.”

”I like your old coat better.”

”I agree with that”, Freed smiled. He loved his red coat mostly because Laxus had bought it for him when was looking it at the store three years ago. He had wanted it but didn't have enough jewels so Laxus had just handed the money for the cashier. Greenette chuckled to himself when he remembered how he had felt so proud wearing his coat since it was like a gift from Laxus. Well, he still did feel proud thought and his coat was one of his most treasured items.

”But as I said it needs repairing so I have to use this one”, he stated and straightened the right sleeve cuff.

”Where did you buy that?” Laxus asked still observing all the tiny features of the purple coat.

”I didn't. It was a gift”, Freed explained. That made Laxus suddenly flinch.

”A gift? From who?” he asked eyes narrowed.

”Huh? If I remember correctly this was from Lucy and Natsu my last birthday”, Freed recalled and wiped wet green hair from his face. ”I usually only use my red coat so this was the only one available now that I can't use it.” He had no need to buy other coats when he had one that was perfect.

”Take it off”, Laxus snarled.

”W-what?” Freed stuttered at the sudden command.

”Take it off”, Laxus repeated.

”But it's freezing out here!”

”Don't care. Take it off”, Laxus said stubbornly.

Freed sighed and unbuttoned his coat and took it off. Laxus snatched it from his hands and slammed it on the nearest garbage can.

”You know, it was a perfectly fine coat”, Freed noted. ”If I can't keep it then I could have donated it somewhere.”

”Who cares”, Laxus grumbled. ”Now it's donated to rats to make nests out of.”

”Fine”, Freed gave up rolling his eyes. Guess there were no point talking about this to the dragon slayer right now.

Suddenly his shoulders felt a lot heavier and he looked down. Laxus' coat! He was wearing Laxus' big, dark coat! Ooh, it felt so warm and fluffy...

”I don't want you to catch a cold”, Laxus murmured touching Freed's cheek with his finger. ”So you have to bear with that coat now.”

”Oh, it's... it's fine”, Freed assured with a bright smile. ”It's warm.” And it smelled like Laxus.

They kept walking side by side, listening how the rain pattered around them. There was no need to talk. They could spend hours together, Freed reading and Laxus watching lacrimavision or something and they didn't have to talk at all. Freed liked it. He loved Ever and Bicks like they were his siblings but sometimes they were just too noisy. And Laxus liked silence as well so they could be with each other but they didn't have to talk and they felt completely comfortable with that.

Suddenly Laxus stopped and Freed did the same now puzzled.

”What is the matter?” he asked. 

”My house is this way”, Laxus said nodding to the other street. Freed hadn't even noticed how close Laxus' house was already.

”Oh... Yes, of course. You need your coat back”, Freed realised.

”No. I'm asking if you need to go fetch something from your house before we go to my place.”

”Y-your place?”

”Yeah, if that's okay?”

”W-well, if you are sure...”

”I'm sure. So do you need anything?”

”I don't know, I guess not.”

”Then let's keep going”, Laxus decided and grabbed Freed's hand. The rune mage felt his cheeks heat up again. He was going to Laxus' place! It wasn't his first time there but they rarely went there. Laxus almost always came over to their house if he wanted company.

Finally they got to the house. It wasn't big and the neighbourhood was peaceful. Freed always liked being here. Their neighbourhood was much more noisy. It wasn't a bad neighbourhood, just lively.

Freed hanged Laxus' coat up to dry when they got inside.

”You have been cleaning”, he said surprised when he took off his boots and looked around.

”Just wiped off some dust and got rid of the trash and bottles and so on”, Laxus shrugged. They had had a tiny party here just couple of weeks ago with Thunder Legion. Freed had of course offered to clean up the next day but then they had to leave for a mission suddenly. Freed chuckled.

”I was so sure there would still be a mess after two weeks”, he said.

”I can surprise sometimes.”

' _Yes indeed you can_ ', Freed thought with a smile. Today was a perfect example of that.

Kitchen and living room were the same big space and only a bar counter was separating them. Laxus didn't have much furniture or decorations but those he had were stylish. There were also one bookshelf that was mostly filled with some random mementos and pictures.

Freed smiled when watching photos. There was a photo from the day when he joined the team. He was around thirteen at that time and he had just joined Fairy Tail. Bickslow was already Laxus' friend and he remembered how he used to be so jealous since Bickslow could casually talk to Laxus, make jokes and accompany him. It took almost a month before Freed could even say hello to the older teenager he wanted to get to know better so badly. He didn't know why back then but it dawned upon him when he was perhaps fifteen or sixteen. It was confusing at first but he accepted the fact quickly.

He had fallen for Laxus and hard from the first sight.

It was all thanks to Bicks who enjoyed teasing him that he had gotten closer to the boy with a scar. When he mustered enough courage to actually talk to Laxus and Bickslow, the seith mage immediately noticed how fun it was to torment that small green haired boy with his pranks. And then suddenly Makarov suggested Freed should keep an eye on his grandson for him, balance the tiny group and make sure Laxus and Bicks wouldn't cause too much trouble so they became the team of three.

Evergreen appeared in the guild one year later. Somehow she just fit right in to their team. At first Freed was extremely jealous – but hiding it – when he thought maybe Laxus wanted to date her.

He was surprised when Bicks actually asked from Laxus straightforward if the lightning mage was interested in Evergreen in a romantic way. Laxus just laughed and what he said had made Freed's heart sank.

” _I don't think it's a good idea to date your teammates_ ”, Laxus had stated. That was when Freed decided not to tell a thing about his feelings for him. So he could stay near him and help him, do his best so Laxus would some day be the strongest mage in all Fiore.

Freed snapped out of his musings when suddenly a towel was dropped on his head and Laxus started to dry his hair.

”You don't have to do that”, Freed assured.

”I know”, Laxus said. ”But I want to do it.”

”If you insist”, Freed hummed with smile. As if he really had anything against it.

”You also need to change out of your damp clothes”, Laxus said. ”I'll lend you some clothes, you can take a hot shower too if you want.”

Freed couldn't do more than just blink. Laxus was being so... tender and caring. It felt a little odd, but he liked it.

”You should change too, you know”, he said.

”I will, don't worry”, Laxus assured and put down the towel. ”I'll go find you some clothes, you go take a shower.”

Freed stepped into the bathroom and couldn't stop smiling. He knew he was acting goofy but there was nothing he could do about it. He was simply overjoyed by all this. Laxus wanted him to stay in his house, maybe all night and was lending him his clothes and taking care of him... This was better than dreams.

He undressed and stepped into the shower closing the curtain. He lifted his hair up on a messy bun and turned the water on. Couple of minutes later the door suddenly clicked open and Freed winced.

”I put your clothes here on the table”, Laxus said.

”Y-yeah, thank you”, Freed stammered surprised.

For a tiny moment there was silence. Odd, maybe little nervous silence but also charged in a good way. For a second Freed thought maybe Laxus would want to join him in the shower and he immediately blushed deep red. No no, he shouldn't think something like that!

Freed sighed relieved – and disappointed – when he could hear Laxus stepping outside and closing the door. He might be Laxus' mate but this was a new situation for both of them. He still didn't know anything what Laxus was thinking about this. Right now the blond dragon slayer wanted to keep Freed near him, but it didn't mean it would last after the mating season. And yeah, maybe Laxus was feeling a little horny – Freed blushed again – but that didn't mean he would do something with Freed.

Before this day Freed had been so sure Laxus would never like him in a romantic way. And he was pretty sure he had never seen or heard Laxus fooling around with men...

 


	11. Chapter 11

Freed changed into the clothes Laxus had brought him. They were obviously too big for him, but he didn't complain. They were so comfortable and smelled like Laxus, making his heart beat fast and when he still was alone he took a deep sniff of the shirt. Was it because he had inhaled too deeply or Laxus' smell he wasn't sure but for a moment he actually felt dizzy.  
Once he recovered he let his green hair fall down, brushed it and tied it on a high ponytail. Then the swordsman stepped out of the bathroom.  
”Shower is free”, he smiled at Laxus who was making something in the kitchen.  
”Okay”, bigger man muttered.  
”What are you doing?” Freed asked curious.  
”Just something to snack on”, Laxus said. ”And some tea for you since you hate drinking coffee at this time of evening.”  
”Thank you”, Freed said with a smile. ”That was really thoughtful.”  
”Nothing special”, Laxus shrugged and take a look at his mate. ”You look good in those clothes”, he praised.  
”Really?”  
”You look cute.”  
Freed blushed. Cute? Laxus thinks he is cute? At the same time he was flattered but also a little bit hurt. He was a tall, muscular man, not some cute little girl in big clothes. Surprisingly Laxus seemed to notice what he was thinking.  
”You know I don't mean it the way you're obviously thinking it”, he assured. ”You're handsome and athletic and I just like it when I see you wearing my clothes. Like last time”, he said.  
”Last time?” Freed asked and his face was burning red of all the compliments Laxus gave him. He could hardly breathe normally.  
”Yeah, you don't remember? We were on a mission like seven months ago and you forgot to bring a change of clothes with you so you borrowed mine.”  
”Oh...” Freed muttered now recalling it. ”We were in the middle of nowhere and if i remember correctly it was your fault I got all muddy”, he reminded.  
”Trifling matter”, Laxus coughed. ”We survived.”  
”Why am I always the one who ends up being muddy or soaked or something similar?” Freed wondered raising his eyebrows at Laxus.  
”Who knows, you're usually so proper and tidy I guess the universe finds you an easy target to have a little fun with?” Laxus taunted playfully.  
”Or maybe my teammates rather than the universe”, Freed grumbled. ”Well, thank you for the clothes anyway”, he said and poured some tea for himself. ”They are comfortable.”  
”Good. Make yourself at home”, Laxus said and went to the bathroom. ”And don't go anywhere”, he reminded before closing the door.  
Freed smiled and sat on the couch and put his teacup on the coffee table. This was really nice. He took one of the books from the bookshelf. They were almost all bought by Freed and he was always happy to notice Laxus had kept them all.  
He just sat there, reading a book and sipping his tea. At some point the shower was turned off and then the door opened. Freed took a look at the door and almost choked in his tea. Laxus was wearing nothing but his pyjama pants, blond hair still dripping water and his skin was damp. Freed’s eyes were almost glued to stare those beautiful bulky muscles.  
”Like what you see?” Laxus smirked noticing the glare from the younger man.  
”Y-yes”, Freed managed to stutter blushing violently. Of course he had seen Laxus before when they went on the spa or something like that. But this was totally different. It felt like Laxus was waiting so he could watch him as much as possible, adoring his abs and everything. Well, not everything since he still had his pants on though they were dangerously low...  
Laxus brought a snack plate to the coffee table and sat down on the couch right next to Freed who was still cherry red.  
”I like that book”, Laxus stated noticing the book Freed was reading. ”It's good.”  
”Really? You actually read books?” Freed asked snapping out of his daydreams.  
”Don't look like that, of course I read books”, Laxus muttered pouting. ”Not as much as you – only Levy reads as much as you do – but I still like some books. I have read every book you have bought for me. I might not like all of them but that one I really like.”  
”You don't need to read them if you don't like them”, Freed assured smiling. ”I won't get offended.”  
”Nah, when I start something I should finish it”, Laxus said munching snacks.  
”I have more books like this if you would like to try them.”  
”Sure, thanks.”  
Silence landed in the living room for a moment as Laxus kept eating snacks and Freed got absorbed in his thoughts.  
”Wanna watch something?” blond asked lifting remote.  
”N-no...” Freed faltered the sudden question. ”Actually there is something we need to talk about”, he said.  
”What?”  
”You know what. This whole situation, everything that has happened.”  
”What about it?” Laxus asked standing up and went on the cabinet. He took out a bottle of fine whiskey and wine, bringing them to the table.  
”I-I mean... Don't you think this is weird?” Freed asked. He was impressed how calm Laxus was with all this.  
”No”, bigger man said like it was nothing and fetched glasses from the kitchen.  
”At all? How on earth are you taking this so calmly?” Freed asked confused and impressed.  
”How? Because I'm not you”, Laxus answered pouring wine for Freed.  
”How is that an answer?”  
”I don't overthink things”, Laxus explained and set the wineglass on Freed's hand. ”This feels natural and right so what's the problem?”  
”It is a huge change in our lives!”  
”Yeah, I know. But it ain't bad change right?”  
”N-no, of course not.”  
”So it's good. I've known about your crush for a good while now.”  
”Y-you have?” Freed stuttered in shock. Laxus just poured some whiskey for himself and sat back on the couch.  
”You weren't that good at hiding it”, blond chuckled. ”Almost everyone knew.”  
”They did?” Freed whined and he facepalmed. ”Oh my god this is so embarrassing...”  
”Don't worry, I'm not mad”, Laxus assured. ”I was flattered”, he said pulling his mate close to him.  
”You never said anything...” Freed muttered.  
”I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure if it would be a good thing for us to date. We are teammates after all and you're one of my best friends. I didn't want to hurt you. I have already hurt you enough in the past”, Laxus sighed.  
”Once again I tell you, I have forgiven you and so have everyone else”, Freed said. ”It's water under the bridge.”  
”You make it sound so easy”, Laxus laughed. ”Maybe you and the guild have forgiven me but I'm not sure if I can forgive myself for what I've done.”  
”Laxus...”  
”That's just something I have to go through. I don’t need to forgive myself just yet. I need to do my absolute best to keep Fairy Tail safe and help my guild mates however I can.”  
”Thunder Legion will always stay by your side and we will help you reach your goal”, Freed swore, immediately snapped in the Captain of the Thunder Legion mode. ”We will do whatever it takes so we can help you and the others.”  
”I know”, Laxus chuckled. His captain was always so eager to please him. ”I'm glad I have you guys beside me. Especially you”, he hummed and Freed almost fainted when he felt soft lips on his burning cheek. ”I really want you to be my mate, Freed. I was really tempted to join you in the shower earlier.”  
”What?” Freed asked eyes widening. Laxus had the same idea as he did?!  
”Yeah, but then I thought that you might just get startled, since this is all so sudden. I want you as my mate but I don't want to ruin this by moving faster than what makes you comfortable.” It wasn't easy, he really wanted to carry Freed to the bedroom but he had to restrain himself.  
”B-but... What if it's just this season?” Freed asked and suddenly his mouth felt dry. ”When the season is over, maybe you don't want me any more that way?”  
Laxus sighed. He should've known. Freed had some time to think and he had already sank in the worst possible scenarios in his head.  
”You must trust me in this, Freed”, Laxus said softly caressing Freed's cheek with his thumb. ”You were gone the whole week, I had time to think this through. I'm not going to change my mind. I only want you.”  
Freed felt breathless. Laxus had really given this serious thought. He sounded so confident and it made his heart beat even faster than before. The dragon slayer probably could hear how it pounded against his rib cage!  
”I know what I want”, Laxus whispered in his ear making Freed shiver. ”Now I only need to know what you want.”  
”I...” the rune mage said with shaking voice just staring somewhere ahead. ”I want nothing more than your happiness, Laxus. That has always been enough for me...” he sighed. ”I would never want you to feel hurt or regret something because of me.”  
”I would never regret anything if it's something I got to do with you”, Laxus said. ”Never.”  
”How can you be so sure?”  
”Hey, you know that when I decide something nothing will change my mind”, Laxus smirked. ”Or at least it has to be something really remarkable before I would do so and I don't believe there is anyone who is against this, at least anyone who is important enough to convince me to care about their opinion. And I can be sure about this 'cause I just know. I don't know how to explain things like this but I just simply know what I want. I want you, Freed. This mating season only confirmed my feelings.”  
”And made you ridiculously jealous”, Freed chuckled making Laxus pout.  
”I understand that maybe this was kinda fast for you”, blond said sipping his whiskey. ”I can give you time to think. But please stay here”, he said putting his glass on the table and wrapped his arms around Freed and pulled him in his lap.  
Freed sighed with a small smile.  
”Alright”, he said. ”I'll think about it but I will stay here if that is what you want.”  
”That is what I want, babe”, Laxus murmured and he felt so relaxed and happy when Freed was here in his arms.  
”Laxus?”  
”Yeah?”  
”You're purring”, Freed smirked. ”That's cute.”  
”Fuck you”, Laxus pouted, but smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

Freed woke up in the early morning like he usually did. But this morning was nothing like usual for him in any other way. He had fallen asleep in the evening at some point on the couch when they had decided to watch movie and apparently Laxus had decided to carry him to his bed with him.

”Laxus...” Freed gasped trying to move the big blond dragon slayer who was slightly snoring and almost crushing him.

Laxus murmured something in his sleep and moved a little, but his arms were still holding smaller man tightly. Freed sighed. How on earth was he supposed to get up now? He knew Laxus would sleep at least until noon if he could but Freed always woke up early.

With a lot of squirming and carefully moving Laxus' hands he finally managed to get out of bed and huffed slightly. Even when sleeping Laxus' hold was strong. Freed chuckled quietly looking at his Thunder God, short hair all messy and mouth slightly open. He looked so relaxed.

Freed did his best not to make a sound when he sneaked up to the door but at the moment he touched the doorhandle, he jolted when he heard a slow growl from the bed.

”Why are you up?” Laxus asked half-asleep, not opening his eyes.

”Good morning Laxus”, Freed said. ”I'm just going to take a shower, you go back to sleep”, he smiled and could only hear some vague muttering with a loud yawn when Laxus shifted to his other side and Freed could already hear him snoring.

He smiled and stepped to the hallway closing the door after him. He went to take a quick shower and changed back to his own clothes which were now dry.

So what should he do now? It was strange to wake up in Laxus' apartment, it was his first time staying overnight – it didn't count when he spent almost a week here a year ago taking care of sick Laxus – and he wasn't sure what he could do. Maybe at least some breakfast? Something he could heat up when Laxus finally decided to get up.

Freed nodded to himself and walked over to the kitchen opening the fridge. Well... There was not enough groceries to make even a decent breakfast and he wanted to make something really good for Laxus. Maybe he could buy something from the store if he was fast? Laxus would be asleep for three to four hours at least. And if he left a note he would know where he was and wouldn't worry.

Trying his best not to make any noise Freed stepped outside and locked the door. He knew where the spare key was hidden so there was no need to take one with him. Now that he was on his way, he probably should go to their house and grab some things since he didn't know how long Laxus wanted him to stay. Oh, Freed had nothing against the idea of staying forever if possible, but maybe he shouldn't think something like that. Everything was still new and they should take their time.

The weather was sunny again and that was good since Freed didn't have his coat.

 

Freed opened the door with his own key and stepped inside. Right away he was ambushed by five Tiki dolls who snuggled him and babbled something like ”Freed's home!”, ”We missed Freed!”, ”Good morning!” or simply ”Make breakfast!”

”Morning to you too”, Freed sighed closing the door and took off his boots.

”Freed?” Bickslow said suddenly appearing in the hallway still in his pyjamapants and a black t-shirt on. ”Baby, how are you already walking?” he snickered and lifted his eyebrows knowingly, making Freed immediately blush.

”Good morning Bicks, if you're implying that we might have done something intimate with Laxus we did not”, the rune mage said and he really tried not to let his cheeks burn even redder.

”Oh... Baby you okay? Did you have a headache?” Bicks sighed with fake concern in his voice.

”It is none of your business, Bicks”, Freed said.

”Are you disappointed?”

”Bicks! We are not going to continue this”, Freed hissed.

”Ooh, he's really disappointed”, another voice said and Freed sighed looking at Cana who came down the stairs.

”Good morning Cana”, he said. ”Did you and Bickslow go out last night?”

”Yes, we had really nice time together”, Cana chuckled rubbing Bickslows shoulders.

”We're going out again tonight”, tall man smirked. ”There's a new pub called Kolpakko and we decided to go check it out. Dunno what that name means but it sounds promising.”

”Well it is good to hear you two get along nicely”, Freed said. ”Now if you excuse me, I need to go get some of my things.”

”What about breakfast?” Bicks whined.

”You are perfectly cabable of doing that yourself, Bicks.”

”But we want your pancakes.”

”Pancakes! Pancakes!” 'babies' demanded.

”And you know how to make those too”, Freed assured.

”C'moon, Freed”, Cana chuckled. ”Bicks has sung the praises of your pancakes and how he really wanted to have them for breakfast.”

Freed sighed rubbing his temples.

”Pretty please?” Bicks begged with a wide smile.

”Please? Please?” his dolls chirped.

”Fine”, Freed gave up and raised his hands as a sign of defeat. ”But I'm kinda in a hurry so I can't stay after they are done.”

”You should make some for Ever too, she's probably hungry when she gets home”, Bicks smirked. ”She's been with Elfman aaall night and she usually comes back home at this hour.”

”Fine”, Freed mumbled and took out all the ingredients, the others cheering on the background.

Of course, it was impossible to start doing pancakes and make just few of them. Bickslow ate almost as much as Natsu so Freed flipped pancakes with two pans on the stove.

”There, these are yours and these are for Ever when she comes home”, Freed said and brought two plates on the table and put third in the fridge.

”Thanks baby!” Bickslow grinned and spurted plenty of syrup on his pile of pancakes.

”Bicks didn't lie, these are amazing Freed”, Cana praised.

”I'm pleased to hear that”, Freed said and put his apron on the closet.

”Oh yeah, your coat is in your room”, Bicks mumbled while stuffing pancakes in his mouth.

”Really? You already found someone to repair it?”

”Yeah, we found this guy who uses tailoring magic. He fixed your coat just like that”, Bicks snapped his fingers. ”It's clean and everything.”

”Glad to hear that. Next time promise me you try to think before you do something stupid”, Freed said. ”You should stop doing stupid things altogether.”

”That wouldn't be fun at all”, Bicks snickered and Freed just rolled his eyes. Asking Bickslow to stop doing stupid things was a hopeless venture from the beginning.

 


	13. Chapter 13

After packing all the things he believed he would need Freed put on his old red coat, buckled up his belt and left the house with his bag. Now he should go buy some groceries. While on his way, suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

”Freed!”

He turned around surprised.

”Good morning Levy and Lucy”, he greeted with smile. ”And Plue”, he chuckled when seeing white 'dog' who raised his paw as a hello. ”You three are up early.”

”Good morning Freed”, Levy smiled. ”Doing some grocery shopping for Laxus?” she grinned.

”Maybe”, Freed admitted blushing slightly. 

”That's really sweet, Freed”, Lucy chirped. ”So what are you doing for breakfast?”

”Not sure yet”, Freed sighed.

”Aww, I'm sure he'll like everything you do”, Levy smiled putting her hand on Freed's shoulder. ”I've heard that your cooking is delicious!”

”I just do my best for my team”, Freed said with a modest nod.

”And your Thunder God”, Lucy chuckled making the man with long hair blush harder. ”I'm sorry, we didn't mean to tease you”, she smiled. ”But I really hope I could sometime taste your cooking, I've heard you are the best at the Guild at making desserts.”

”You're giving me too much credit”, Freed smiled. ”We have many good cooks in our Guild and comparing skills is pointless when everyone has their own speciality and their own area.”

”Always so humble”, Levy chuckled.

”So where are you two heading?” the swordsman asked curiously. ”How come Natsu and Gajeel are not with you?”

”They sleep late”, Levy explained. ”This is the only time of the day when we can go somewhere by ourselves without them and we decided to just walk around. I guess Laxus is a late-sleeper too?”

”That is correct”, Freed laughed. ”How are Natsu and Gajeel going to react when they realize you are gone?”

”Gajeel usually stays somewhat calm”, Levy said and they started walking across the marketplace. ”Until someone says one word wrong and then he loses it.”

”Natsu just starts to run around the town and yell and be stupid like always”, Lucy sighed and Plue just hummed something nonsensical while tiptoeing ahead of them.

”Natsu is unique that's for sure”, Freed smiled and bought some ingredients from a booth and they continued on around the market.

”Not sure if that's good or bad...” Lucy mumbled rolling her eyes.

”He cares about you deeply, that is always a good thing.”

”How is Laxus going to react when he realizes you're gone?” Levy asked.

”I left a note for him”, Freed smiled. ”He shouldn't worry if he happens to wake up before I'm back.”

”I did that too with Gajeel and it didn't go as planned.”

”Really?”

”Yeah, this season makes them go crazy”, Levy nodded. ”They just want to stay close all the time and are suspicious about everything.”

”Yeah, they are extremely jealous”, Lucy added.

”I did notice that yesterday... If you don't mind could you tell me more about how this mating season works? I can offer you cups of coffee as a thank you”, Freed offered.

”Sure”, Lucy smiled. ”If you really wanna pay.”

”You can even order some cake if you want”, Freed chuckled and that made the girls overjoyed.

After shopping they found a nice little coffee shop just beside the marketplace. Since the weather was good they decided it would be nice to sit on the terrace outside.

”Really? He threw your coat away? Just like that?” Lucy gasped.

”Yeah, like it was something really disgusting”, Freed nodded amused. ”If I should guess, I believe it's because I said it was from you and Natsu. If it were just from you, maybe he wouldn't have minded that much.”

”But since Natsu is another dragon slayer, he's more cautious”, Levy figured. ”Or maybe even if it were from Warren or Jet or any other male, he would have acted that way anyway. He doesn't mind girls since he knows you don't swing that way but guys are threat.”

”Could be”, Freed nodded. ”I'm sorry Lucy, it was a nice gift.”

”It's okay”, Lucy assured with a smile.

”So... I know it is rather daring for me to ask and it's none of my business, but I don't know who else to ask these things... How are Natsu and Gajeel acting about... ahem”, he coughed awkwardly and all three of them blushed. This was _not_ an easy topic to talk about. ”Is there anything I should know so I'm prepared with Laxus?”

”W-well... I guess they are not any different from normal in that sense”, Levy answered trying to hide behind her coffee cup and Lucy hid her face behind her blond hair.

”I'm so sorry I had to ask that”, Freed apologized and felt how his cheeks were burning of embarrassment.

”N-no, it's okay you need to know more about this mating season and that is part of it. How about Laxus? Is he acting, um... any different that way?”

”Well we haven't actually talked about the topic yet... He doesn't want to hurry me in any way but I can feel how he is... umm... randy or something similar.”

Oh god this was  _really_ awkward!

”Mirajane told me that it is because Laxus is older than Gajeel and Natsu”, Lucy said. ”It's an instinct, he's old enough to want offspring. That's just something he can't help.”

”The point of the mating season is always about having an offspring”, Freed nodded and didn't say a thing when Plue snatched a strawberry from his plate. ”That can not of course happen in mine and Laxus' case, but the instinct is still there regardless. Dragon slayers are acting like dragons and for them I believe an offspring is an important matter. Dragons live really long lives and mating season happens rarely so every little dragon is precious.”

Of course there was that horrific time when they actually had to fight against those precious little dragons but that was a whole different situation then.

”Master and Porlyusica said that we should stay cautious since this is really old magic”, Levy remarked. ”We don't have enough knowledge about this. There are no books or anything else any more where we could find some information. Just some rumours.”

”So... Basically we just need to be on alert and take notes of what happens and all”, greenette frowned. He didn't like this. He never liked it when he had to encounter something new and he didn't have enough information. There were so many things that could go wrong!

”Has Laxus yet spoken about the mark?” Lucy asked.

”Mark?” Freed asked confused.

”Yeah, dragon slayers mark their mates. Nothing serious, slayer just slightly bites their mate on the neck and leaves a mark that matches their magic. There is no need to even actually... uh... do those things.”

”No, he hasn't mentioned anything like that yet”, Freed said and put his finger on the edge of the plate when Plue was trying to steal his cake.

”We have our marks”, Levy smiled and turned around in her chair. Freed could see small round mark that looked like it was made of tiny little pieces of steel. Lucy had her own that looked like a fireball.

”Interesting”, Freed murmured. ”So now you'll be mates forever?”

”Porlyusica said that's not always the case”, Levy said and shook her head. ”There are mates and then soulmates. If you're soulmates, the mark will stay forever.”

”And if not?” Freed asked now worried.

”Nothing stops you from being together”, Lucy smiled encouragingly. ”Regular mate's mark will disappear after the mating season but it doesn't mean there is no love.”

”Can a dragon slayer have many mates?” The mere thought about Laxus having other mates made Freed shiver and a little bit jealous.

”We don't know that, I guess it's possible. But there's only one soulmate. And when dragon slayer finds his soulmate, Porlyusica said that it's quite possible he will remain somewhat possessive, overprotective and like that because dragon slayer's soulmate is their most valuable treasure. Their magic bond then is really strong, who knows what might happen? Like maybe the soulmate might have some of his dragon slayer's power to protect him?”

”Like if you're in danger and then lightning appears to protect you”, Levy exampled.

”Or Levy might get iron plates to cover her skin”, Lucy nodded.

”And Lucy of course might get surrounded by fire.”

”That does make sense”, Freed agreed. ”Dragon slayers are powerful but their mates might not be as strong. I would never even imagine I could win a fight against Laxus”, he chuckled. ”Or Natsu and Gajeel if they go serious about it, not a chance. They just simply are in a league of their own when talking about power.”

”Yeah”, Lucy said and shivered. ”But they won't harm us”, she smiled. ”But they might compete against each other, to see who is strongest and to impress that way their mate.”

”And the only way to know if you're true soulmates is to wait until season is over?” Freed asked and girls nodded.

”That's what Porlyusica said”, Levy said. ”That's pretty much all we know right now. When Laxus went after you yesterday we had no idea what to do or what could happen. Especially after we heard you were on a date with Rufus.”

”How is he by the way?” Freed remembered to ask about the memory mage.

”He's fine”, Lucy chuckled. ”Well, he had three broken ribs but he said he would meet someone to heal him. He doesn't hold a grudge.”

”That is good, I'm glad nothing more serious happened”, Freed sighed relieved.

”But seriously, Laxus was scary”, Lucy said. ”For a minute I was sure he would kill him.”

”Laxus would never kill anyone. No matter what anyone says, I know he couldn't do something like that. But he can cause serious damage.”

Freed sighed and finally he let go of the plate and let Plue have rest of his cake.

”We're sorry we don't have more knowledge about this”, Levy apologized patting Freed's hand. ”We know how you hate it when you don't have enough information about something that's happening.”

”It's okay, Levy”, Freed smiled. ”It is not your fault. We just need to take notes now so in the future we are more prepared.”

”Don't worry Freed”, Lucy said with smile. ”I'm sure everything will work out. And we are sure you are Laxus' soulmate”, she giggled making Freed's face heat up. ”You two just simply belong together like...”

”Strawberries and vanilla ice cream!” Levy suggested cheerfully.

”Or chocolate and strawberries!”

”Strawberries and lemon ice cream!”

”What is with you two and strawberries?” Freed huffed amused.

”Lucy! Levy!” they suddenly heard a new voice and raised their gazes.

Happy almost crashed into their table making poor Plue drop his remaining cake on the ground.

”Happy? What's with the rush?” Lucy asked surprised.

”Lucy! Natsu is causing trouble again!” blue exceed yelled. ”And so is Gajeel!”

”What are they doing?” Levy asked and they all stood up.

”They started to argue about something again and now they are fighting and destroying things!”

”Sounds like you two should go”, Freed said.

At that moment they could see a large pillar of fire erupting nearby.

”Those two idiots”, Lucy grumbled annoyed.

Freed was about to say something but he lost his voice when suddenly there was a bright blast of thunder and ground was shaking.

”Why is Laxus there?” he gasped confused.

”We should go there before they cause more damage”, Lucy decided and they started running.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Freed, Lucy and Levy arrived at the street where all the fighting was happening.

”Good! You found them!” Panther Lily said as they approached him.

”Aye! Freed was there too!” Happy smiled.

”Good morning, Lily”, Freed said. ”What is the situation?”

”Good morning Freed”, Lily nodded. ”I'd say things are not as bad as you could think, somehow they have managed to restrain themselves from causing more destruction but three buildings are down.”

”Master is going to be furious”, Lucy sighed. ”And how on earth are we going to pay for all the rebuilding?!”

”Maybe we should think that after we have managed to calm them down”, Lily shrugged. ”Freed, any ideas?”

”I could make a rune trap but then we need to lure them into it”, Freed said unsheathing his sword. ”And it will take some time.”

”Can you make them unable to use their magic?” Levy suggested and Freed nodded, then he started to write runes on the ground.

”Hurry!” Happy whined trembling when Gajeel hit another building with his dark steelbar.

”I will do my best but please be patient.”

Freed drew a big square on the ground with runes and it took fifteen minutes to strenghten the walls so it could hold three dragon slayers. It probably wouldn't last if they went full berserk but maybe just enough since they couldn't use their magic in this trap. To make a perfect dragon slayer proofed trap, it would have taken at least an hour.

”It is done”, he said finally. ”Dragon slayers who enter this trap cannot use their magic and they are not allowed to leave this trap before Freed Justine, Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden give them permission to do so”, he stated.

”Great! Now let's make them notice us”, Levy grinned.

”How?”

”HEY! BLOCKHEADS!” Lucy shouted loudly and almost made Freed jump.

”DUMBASSES! OVER HERE!” Levy yelled waving her hands.

Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel stopped right on their spots and gazed at their mates. Freed flinched when suddenly both Levy and Lucy hugged him tightly from both sides and he could hear how it made dragon slayers growl furiously out of jealousy.

”Oh god...” Lily whispered with fear when all three men forgot their fight between each other and focused on their mates. Freed would be so dead if his runes didn't hold up!

Freed was thinking just about the same thing and gulped watching how Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel bolted towards them. They approached really fast and he shutted his eyes when they entered the trap. And then they stopped with a loud bang as they collided right against the wall.

The green haired mage opened his eyes and was relieved when he saw three men lying on the ground dizzy from the impact.

”They didn't crack their skulls did they?” Lily sweatdropped.

”They're boneheads, they will be fine”, Freed huffed and the girls let go of him. ”That was still dangerous”, he scolded.

”Sorry Freed”, Levy smirked. ”But it worked.”

”L-Lucy...” Natsu finally said and tried to stand up.

”Sorry Natsu”, Lucy chirped. ”We had to do that.”

”I'm gonna roast your ass, Freed”, Natsu snarled glaring at the rune mage.

”I know you are mad at me but we had no other choice but to do this”, Freed apologized.

”Don't you dare try and take my Shrimp you damn mosshead”, Gajeel growled finally standing up.

”I assure you I have no intention of being nothing more but friends with Levy or Lucy”, Freed said. ”And before you even try, you cannot use your magic when in that trap.”

”Then let us out so I can kick your ass!” Natsu barked hitting his fists against the invisible wall.

Freed sighed and looked at Laxus who was sitting now and glaring at him both confused and annoyed.

”I'm sorry Laxus...” Freed muttered lowering his gaze as he felt really bad that he had to do this to his Thunder God.

”Don't you blame Freed, you three were destroying the town!” Lucy shouted hands on her hips. ”We just want you guys to calm down!”

”We're calm now so please let us out, Freed”, Natsu smiled corner of his mouth twitching irritated.

”No”, Freed refused shaking his head.

”You fucking little shit -” Gajeel started but got punched by Laxus.

”Shut your damn snout, metalhead!” blond shouted.

And that was all it needed to start a new fight.

”Well, at least they can't use magic and they have to stay on that box”, Lily said and now they were even little bit amused. ”So everything is okay for now.”

”I guess”, Freed huffed crossing his arms.

”Don't worry Freed, once they're done with fighting I bet they are so tired they won't have enough energy to be mad anymore”, Lucy assured smiling.

”Let's hope for the best”, Freed said and since they couldn't do else, they sat down on the bench and let the three men wrestle inside the trap.

 

It took two hours before the dragon slayers finally started to get tired. They were huffing, sitting on the ground and full of bruises and dust.

”Are you finally starting to come back to your senses?” Lucy asked arching her brows. ”You guys are acting ridiculous”, she stated making the caged men glare at her. ”If you are calm enough not to cause anymore ruckus, we will let you out.”

”But only if you promise to behave”, Levy added. ”And then we can all go home.”

Laxus, Gajeel and Natsu scowled at each other, but none of them said anything. They either did nothing to start new fight even though they looked annoyed as hell.

”It's good to see that you're starting to calm down”, Freed said and stood up from the bench. ”There is no need to fight anymore. We know you all are strong and we are really impressed even if you looked more like small schoolboys wrestling than mighty dragon slayers.”

”And don't you dare attack Freed”, Lucy warned when Natsu was about to say something. ”Without him there would only be half of the town standing anymore.”

”Fine”, Gajeel said finally, Laxus and Natsu also giving up only nodding for agree.

Freed looked at Lucy and Levy who nodded and runes vanished finally, letting the three men free.

”Okay, let's go home and rest”, Lucy smiled grabbing Natsu's hand and Levy did same to Gajeel.

”We should start making lunch”, blue haired mage said.

Freed looked at Laxus who still seemed irritated but said nothing just staring away. It pained Freed's chest so much he felt like wanting to cry.

”We should head home too”, he suggested with silent sigh.

He turned to take his bag and groceries from the bench, heard steps and suddenly he didn't feel the ground under his feet anymore. Then he realized he was hanging over Laxus' shoulder.

”L-Laxus!” he shouted.

”Shut up”, Laxus growled grabbing his backbag and grocery bag on his other hand and started walking towards his house.

”I can walk on my own! Put me down!”

”Stop squirming or I'll raise that coat of yours and whip your ass”, Laxus said and that made Freed's face burn red. Why was this happening to him?

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mild smut here

They finally arrived at Laxus' house and Freed was able to drop himself from Laxus' shoulder. He was so embarrassed being carried like that all the way! But Laxus didn't seem to care, he just opened the door and stepped inside. Freed sighed and followed after him closing the door. Laxus stayed silent and just dropped the bags on the floor.

Freed put the groceries on the fridge and stopped to think what he should do for lunch for them. He couldn't make breakfast for Laxus but maybe a good lunch could help so Laxus wouldn't be so irritated anymore. He hated it when the blond man wasn't saying even a word.

But before he could start to even think what he should make Freed felt powerful fingers snatch his arm at their grip and he was shoved against the wall.

”Laxus”, Freed gasped looking at the orange eyes that were sparking with anger.

”You didn't tell me where you were going”, Laxus said his voice low placing his hands on the wall both sides of Freed, trapping him.

”I left a note, didn't you see it?” Freed said quickly.

”Some fucking piece of paper is not the same as you telling me yourself where you were going. You should've woke me up!” Laxus grunted. ”I thought you agreed with me in this.”

”I didn't know leaving a note was not enough.”

”Instead you went out with those little bitches”, Laxus said ignoring Freed's words. ”What were you guys doing?”

”Are you suggesting that I'm not trustworthy?” the rune mage asked offended.

”I'm suggesting you should answer my questions.”

”Fine, we just had some coffee and they told me what they knew about the mating season”, Freed said. ”I needed to have at least some information about it.”

”And you couldn't just ask me?”

Freed just stared at Laxus.

”I... I didn't think about that”, he confessed. Of course he should have asked Laxus first.

”I guess you didn't”, Laxus sneered.

”There is no need to worry about this, nothing happened”, Freed assured.

”Nothing? Those chicks were clinging onto you and you say nothing happened?” Laxus growled.

”What? Wait, is that why you are so angry right now?” Freed blinked. ”It meant nothing! It was simply -”

”I don't care!” Laxus roared, almost making Freed jump. ”You're mine! No matter the reason no one holds you but me.”

”Laxus -” Freed started to object, but his eyes widened when suddenly Laxus kissed him. For a second he forgot how to even breathe and his heart was beating so hard it hurt! Blood rushed to his ears and he froze completely, only feeling those soft lips. It was a rough kiss, but Freed liked it nonetheless.

Laxus stepped closer and pushed himself against him and his arms trapped him in a tight hold. Freed felt his tongue touching his lips and he opened his mouth letting it in. He had no experience but that didn't seem to bother Laxus who clearly wanted to dominate. Freed lifted his hands and carefully placed them around Laxus' neck, running his fingers through the blond hair.

It was intoxicating. Freed's head was spinning when finally they separated from the kiss both panting. It was the best first kiss anyone could ever ask for! At least for Freed it was.

He was still lingering in that beautiful feeling but was waken up when Laxus suddenly yanked him up and stormed towards the bedroom. He had hardly enough time to freak out because of the sudden move when he already got tossed on the bed.

”Wait -!” Freed yelped but his lips were again claimed by Laxus' own, this time it was much more hungry and possessive kiss. Freed didn't deny that it was arousing but Laxus was also scary right now. Like he wasn't thinking at all!

Freed broke the kiss by turning his head and gasped when he felt lips on his neck.

”Mine”, Laxus snarled low his tongue licking pale skin and Freed realised Laxus was already unbuckling his belt, tossing it and his sword down on the floor.

”Laxus!” Freed wheezed and tried to push other man away but he could hardly make Laxus back up even an inch. Laxus didn't even listen to him!

Suddenly he could feel teeth scraping against his skin. He froze in a shock, remembering what Lucy and Levy had told him. ' _Dragon slayers mark their mates_.' For a moment Freed was terrified because this all happened faster than he could adjust! Laxus was more like a wild beast than the man he knew, unbuttoning his coat and shirt while he tried to squirm away beneath him.

”N-no, Laxus”, he panted when a big hand grabbed his hip in its tight grasp to keep the rune mage down and the other hand forced his leg to shift.

Freed shivered when he felt Laxus' hard length through his pants as the blond pressed himself against him between his legs. Laxus was _huge_! He couldn't help but moan when Laxus moved his hips and big hand grabbed Freed's ass. Even though he was scared of this situation with Laxus behaving so bestial, he felt really good. Good enough that for a moment he actually considered just letting Laxus do what he wanted. He really wanted to know how good it would feel when Laxus -

' _No_!' Freed shaked his head quickly. ' _This is not right_! _Laxus is not acting normal right now_!'

Before Laxus could start unzip Freed's pants the rune mage grabbed a big tuft of blond hair in his grasp and forced lightning mage's head up. He knew it hurt but he had to do it.

”STOP!” he yelled his command making Laxus flinch.

Only seconds passed but it felt like minutes. They stared at each other when finally Laxus' orange eyes widened as he recalled the situation. Freed was lying under him, shirt almost ripped off, cheeks burning red and panting because of all the struggling. It was a beautiful sight, but Laxus couldn't enjoy it since he knew that how they ended there was wrong.

He jumped off the bed and Freed sighed relieved.

”Freed...” Laxus whispered looking shocked. What was he thinking? It was like for a moment he had lost all his control over his body! Damn! He almost raped Freed!

”Looks like you're back to your senses, that's good”, Freed said and sat up. He ran his fingers through his green hair that was now slightly tangled . ”Are you okay?”

”What?” Laxus asked and he couldn't believe his ears. Just seconds ago he was almost forcing Freed to have sex and now he asked if Laxus was okay?

”You were -”

”I know! Fuck! I couldn't control myself at all! My only thought was how badly I wanted to claim you and I didn't even care what else would happen!” Laxus blurted and backed towards the door. ”In one moment we were in the kitchen and I was still mad at you, then I suddenly kissed you and the next thing I know I was ripping off your clothes!”

”Your dragonside took over”, Freed sighed and straightened his shirt. He was still trembling but he was not going to blame Laxus for what happened. ”You couldn't help it.”

”No! This should not have happened!” Laxus said rubbing his face in self-hatred. ”If... Fuck, if I hadn't come back to my senses...”

”Laxus...” Freed said softly.

Suddenly Laxus turned around and before Freed could say anything he was already out of the bedroom. Quickly Freed got out of bed on his shaky legs but he could hear how the front door slammed shut loudly.

The rune mage sighed and he sat on the bed. Right now he had absolutely no idea what he should do.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

Freed was sitting on the couch looking at the lacrimavision, but couldn't focus on the show. It was already past dinnertime and he had done some stew but couldn't even think about eating. He was too worried about Laxus. Where did he go?

Finally he just shut down the lacrimavision and stood up. He was hoping that Laxus would come back home in two or three hours but it seemed like that was not going to happen. Maybe he should go and try to find him? Of course, it was quite possible Laxus wasn't even in the town any more...

But he had to do something, he couldn't just sit here comfortably while Laxus was somewhere out there probably hating himself of what he almost did. He had to make sure the lightning mage understood that Freed was not angry or scared or something. It was a scary moment but he had encountered many scary situations before so he wasn't that easily traumatized.

Freed stepped out of the house and locked the door. Maybe he should start his searching from the Guild. Who knows, Laxus might had said something to Makarov or maybe the old man knew some place where Laxus would go when he was freaking out. Laxus most certainly wouldn't go to places Freed already knew, since those were the places where Freed would search him first.

 

The Guild was loud as usual when Freed opened the door and stepped inside. He greeted some of his guild mates on his way to their usual table on the second floor.

”Ever”, he said when he saw the brunette.

”Freed”, Ever said surprised. ”What are you doing here? I was sure we wouldn't see you or Laxus at least for a week”, she giggled.

”Um... Well, we are taking things slowly”, Freed lied. He couldn't tell Evergreen what happened. She would only get furious and wouldn't listen to anything what he had to say for Laxus' defence.

”Really? That's surprising”, Ever hummed and looked somewhat suspicious. ”And why isn't Laxus with you? The way he was acting before I thought he would follow you everywhere and guard you like the most precious treasure”, she smirked.

”Nothing is wrong, Ever”, Freed assured and tried to smile convincing. He was well aware that lying was not something that he could do well.

Ever just stared at him saying nothing.

”Is Master here?” Freed asked trying to sound casual. ”I have something I want to talk with him.”

”He's in his office”, Ever said. ”Do you need me to come with you?” she suggested. Greenette knew it very well that even if she seemed self-centred and straightforwardly bitch sometimes to the others, Ever was actually the one who was most overprotective of them all when she feared something was wrong with her teammates.

”No Ever, I'm fine”, Freed assured. ”I will see you again later”, he smiled and stepped on the hallway where Master's office was located in.

He stopped in front of the door and knocked.

”Come in”, Makarov said and Freed opened the door.

”Good evening, Master Makarov”, the rune mage greeted closing the door.

”Hello, Freed”, Makarov smiled. ”How are you doing?”

”I'm fine, thank you. I was wondering if I could bother you for a while?”

”You should have at least brought me some beer then”, the old man laughed.

”I will be right back”, Freed nodded and he almost grabbed the door handle when Makarov stopped him:

”Just get back here, brat!”

”But -”

”I was just joking with you”, Makarov sighed crossing his arms. ”Always so formal. We're family, you should just do like the others and barge right in or it feels like you've come to meet someone stranger. We are not strangers, we are family. And as my grandson's mate, you of all people should not be afraid to approach me if there is something wrong.”

”I'm really honoured of your kind words, Master”, Freed smiled. He hadn't even thought yet how Makarov was dealing with this whole thing, his only grandson dating a man so it was really soothing to hear he was not against it. If Freed and Laxus would ever get married, he would actually be part of the Dreyar family.

”So, is something wrong with Laxus?” old man asked and Freed jolted. ”He came here couple of hours ago and he was going to take a mission that would last a month and was pretty far away. Were you two planning something?”

”Did he take that mission?” Freed asked quickly and now he was worried.

”No, I told him it was not a good idea and did not give him permission to take that job”, Makarov answered and the swordsman sighed relieved. Thank god.

”Is he still here?”

”No, he left almost immediately. I got a little bit worried because he didn't even argue one bit, he just left. So something is wrong? He looked so disoriented and even scared of something. It has been a long time since I've seen him acting like that.”

”Something did happen”, Freed admitted. ”But I'm not angry at him or anything.”

”Tell me what happened, Freed”, Makarov told and he sat down on his desk as Freed sat on the chair.

He started from when they left the guild house with Laxus. How Laxus was and what he had noted in his behavior. And how in the morning he met Levy and Lucy, then they went to separate Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel. Freed was little bit worried what Master would say when he heard about the destruction, but the old man just told him to continue.

It was not easy to tell Makarov how Laxus acted. He hoped that Makarov wouldn't get angry at his grandson.

”And I haven't heard or seen him since then”, Freed ended his story. ”I need to find him and tell him that everything is okay. He was angry and jealous so his dragon side took over. This is new to him so he doesn't yet know how to handle these kind of situations or how to control his dragon side fully.”

”You're surprisingly calm with all what happened”, Makarov noted.

”I'm not that easy to scare off”, Freed chuckled. ”Not when we are talking about Laxus. Yes, things could have gone ugly but they didn't. And even if something had happened I still wouldn't hate him. But I knew he would hate himself for the rest of his life so I didn't let it happen. He probably wants to avoid me for a while, at least until the season is over but... He shouldn't feel that bad about himself”, Freed sighed. ”So I was thinking maybe you knew some place where he might be. He wouldn't go to places I know.”

”You're right”, Makarov nodded. ”He didn't go to a mission but that wont stop him from going where ever he wants. I know some places near Magnolia but nothing more.”

”Could you point them out for me?” Freed begged. ”I need to find him.”

”I understand”, Makarov said and jumped down from his desk.

The old man went to the cabinet and he pulled out a map, rolling it open on the desk.

”Somewhere here, here and here”, he said tapping locations on the map. ”They are places where he goes when he wants to be alone.”

”I see”, Freed muttered. ”The terrain around those places are hard to travel so not many people even try to enter there.”

”With your wings you shouldn't have any problems getting there”, Makarov convinced. ”But he might flee in the moment he realizes you found him.”

”That is true... I should erase my scent with my runes again so he can't smell me before I find him. If possible, I should trap him in the area so he has no other choice but to hear me out.”

”That is a good idea.”

”Please, don't tell about this to anyone”, Freed asked. ”Especially Bickslow and Evergreen. I'm not sure if they would understand.”

”If you're sure”, Makarov promised.

”I'll start searching right now”, Freed said making a copy of the map and he marked places.

”Are you absolutely sure you want to do this alone?” Makarov asked opening the glass doors to the balcony.

”Yes Master”, Freed nodded and purple wings appeared on his back. ”I know Laxus is ashamed of himself right now and I can guess he is hating himself deeply so I will not bring more shame to him by letting someone see him in that stage.”

”Then I can do nothing more than just wish you good luck”, Makarov said. ”I hope you'll find him but don't push yourself too much.”

”Thank you, Master”, Freed said with smile, nodded and he flew off from the Guild.

 

First place was in the mountain area. Freed wandered around and tried to spot something. But in the end he only saw some mountain animals. He circled the area at least four times before he finally landed. Laxus was not here so he should head to the next place. He took out the map, studied it and nodded.

Next area was near the river. It wasn't that hard place to reach but there were really nasty creatures around. Leeches, ticks, venomous spiders, snakes, mosquitoes, butterflies that could kill... No one wanted to go there voluntarily but with Laxus' electricity, he could keep those critters away.

Freed as well didn't want to land there. If he hated something it was beetles. No, hate was too mild, he absolutely loathed them. And here they were huge, as big as a fist, fast and some of them were venomous. Shivers run down Freed's spine when he even thought those creepy crawlers. He just circled around the area above the trees and fought off some big birds that tried to attack him. Laxus was not in here either. 

Third area was an island far away from the mainland. Freed knew it looked like a perfect place where to sail for a day, but it was actually surrounded by treacherous reefs and the marine animals there were extremely aggressive. They would sink every boat that tried to approach.

This was the most promising place out of those three. The rune mage get closer to the water that splashed by his speed above it and he landed on the shore. This was his first time here but he had heard there were big animals living in this large old forest. Big and wickedly vicious. Perfect training ground for someone like Laxus who could be even more ruthless if he wanted.

Sun had already set when Freed finished drawing runes. He had surrounded the whole island with his runes so Laxus didn't have a chance to leave. It took a large amount of his magic but he had no choice.

Freed wheezed silently when his stomach let out a growl. He should have eaten something before he left... Tiny piece of cake in the morning was not enough to give him enough energy. And after all of that flying around, using runes to hide his scent and now this huge trap... He really did hope that he wouldn't encounter too many animals here. He was not sure he could fight them of.

But he was determined to find Laxus so he straightened his back and stepped in the forest.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Darkness had landed in the forest hours ago, when Freed finally had to stop. He had to find something to eat or he couldn't possibly keep this big trap on all night. He didn't have enough magic any more to fly. And that wouldn't help him anyway, foliage in this forest was too thick so he wouldn't see anything.

The rune mage sighed. He couldn't find anything edible that he recognized. Plants, mushrooms and fruits in this forest were strange so obviously he wouldn't eat them. And he didn't see any tiny animals he could hunt and cook on fire.

It was actually really strange. Usually in forests like this one there were lots of critters. And it was also strange that he hadn't yet encountered any of the animals they said lived here. He had not seen Laxus either and that saddened him. Maybe Laxus was not here in this island after all?

Freed yelped when suddenly the ground under his feet disappeared and he fell down the hill. Luckily it wasn't steep fall and there were lots of plants to soften his landing. But it still startled him and he sat up slowly. His head hurt and he could feel a little bump on the side of his head but there was only slightly blood so it wasn't probably anything more than just a scratch.

Freed sighed and stood up dusting his pants and coat. Where was he now? It seemed like some kind of a large excavation... Greenette started walking carefully as he studied his surroundings and tried to figure how far he was from the shore.

Then he heard rustle. In a second Freed prepared himself unsheathing his sword and looked around. He didn't see anything... He walked carefully forward and tried to sharpen his hearing as much as he could. Rustling came closer and it was louder and like there were more than one creature causing it. It was creepy and made Freed's skin shiver and his heart beat fast.

Finally he stopped next to the cliff and narrowed his eyes. He was tired but it was more than possible that now he had to fight so he could get out of here. Who knows, maybe he could even get something to eat? That thought in his mind he took a strengthening breath and stepped out. But nothing could have ever prepared him for the sight that was now right in front of him.

Big, ugly, fat beetles crawled around and Freed's legs suddenly felt like jelly. W-what?! Where on earth did he fell into?! Those beetles were in the size of a dog!

Quickly Freed pulled himself back behind the cliff. No, no, no! He couldn't do this! He had to find another way! He started running back and took another turn just to find more those horrible creatures that walked around lazily, and they had big horns and tiny antennas. Freed felt sick. He hated those creatures no matter what size or what they looked like! He had to get out of here!

Finally after freaking out for a while and running around he found a passage that lead up. He didn't stop when he was up he just kept running away from that hellhole as fast as he could.

After maybe five minutes he finally stopped, panting heavily. Oh god, that was awful... But he wasn't drowsy any more. How could he possibly sleep in this forest when he knew those monsters were walking around?!

Freed jumped when he heard rustling from the bushes. What now?

It was even more terrifying sight when large, bear sized insect stood up. It was a beetle, bright green with darker spots, long antennas that twitched side to side and it had absolutely horrible long pincers that moved slowly.

Oh no in hell he was going to stay and fight with that thing! Freed just sharply turned around and run like there was fire spreading behind him. He heard loud thumps as the beetle went after him and that just made his legs move even faster.

This was the most horrible situation to not have enough magic left to fly! But with his luck, that thing probably could fly too.

He arrived at the river and had to stop. Where should he run now? River seemed muddy and deep so he maybe shouldn't try swimming, there could be anything lurking in the darkness. And sure enough when he got near the water something was moving and Freed yelled eyes wide when large centipede like insect rose up, tiny legs fidgeting. It had large fangs that were probably poisonous and flat thick shell in it's back.

”I hate this fucking forest!” Freed shouted scraping his head, green hair all messy because of all the tumbling and running around.

Heavy steps came closer and Freed turned to see the beetle that let out a large screech and was about to attack him. The rune mage jumped aside and beetle stumbled in the sand. Freed watched with horror how in that second the centipede attacked the beetle and dragged it on the water. He didn't stay and watch, he stood up and started running away.

This forest was hideous place! And it didn't help that he could hear loud buzzing sound coming above him. He just jumped aside just in time to dodge another attack but now it was an insect that was flying.

Freed spun around and stood up quickly. Insect in front of him was a slim wasp that hissed low and it's long – freakishly long! - antennas moved around like searching something. Freed shivered and took a step backward, instantly falling over when his foot get stuck in a hole making him yell in pain.

That made the large wasp to notice him, turning it's ugly head towards Freed.

”Oh shit, shit, shit, _shit_!” green haired man whined and tried to free his injured leg from the roots on the ground.

Big flashy yellow wings spread out and Freed grabbed his sword. He could only try to stab that thing dead before it could attack him! Wasp hissed loudly and Freed heard the buzzing from it's wings. Then it flitted to attack.

Dazzling flash filled surroundings and Freed had to shut his eyes. When he finally could open them carefully, he could see the wasp that was now totally crisped and drop dead, falling on the ground.

Laxus stood there right next to it. Freed's eyes widened. Laxus actually appeared out of nowhere to safe him!

”L-Laxus”, he stuttered. ”You really were here!”

”The fuck are _you_ doing here?” blond snarled walking over to him. ”Almost getting killed by a bug!”

”I-I was looking for you”, Freed answered, still unable to stand up. ”Your grandfather mentioned you might be here so I came here.”

”And I was so sure you would never come to this island”, Laxus snorted. ”With those monstrous beetles and everything.”

”Well, I didn't know here would be creatures like that...”

”Obviously you didn't. This island is called the Beetlenest Island, I thought you would avoid it at any cost.”

”I didn't know the name of this island either...” Freed confessed. ”But even if I had known it, I would have still came here.”

Laxus huffed rubbing his face and looked down at Freed's leg.

”Is it broken?” he asked now gently, kneeling down and started carefully break roots around the ankle.

”I don't know”, Freed muttered. ”Maybe only strained.”

”Let's hope for the best. Man, I haven't heard you cursing and yelling like that maybe... never?”

”I had a really good reason for it.”

”You have encountered many scary things and fought many powerful opponents and won but in the moment you are against a beetle you become the biggest sissy in the world”, Laxus said with amusement.

”In case you didn't notice those bugs were bigger than your house!”

”No they weren't, you're just a wuss, Justine.”

Finally his leg was free and greenette hissed in pain when Laxus moved it carefully.

”We need to put a bandage on it and some kind of a support”, blond murmured. ”And then we need to get you to Porlyusica.”

”Is that really necessary?” Freed sighed. Trip to Porlyusica would never go well.

”Wendy won't be back from her mission for a while so yeah”, Laxus said. He too was a little bit scared of Porlyusica if he was honest. Of course he would never admit it to anyone. ”Can you use your magic?”

”No...” Freed confessed. ”I set up a trap on this whole island so you couldn't get away if you were here.”

”Yeah, I noticed. I was trying to leave and I once again bonked my head on that wall of yours so I figured you were somewhere here. Then I heard you screaming like someone was gonna eat you”, Laxus muttered.

”I don't scream, my voice is too low.”

”Sure did sound like it. It almost stopped my heart.”

”I'm sorry”, Freed sighed. ”My energy is low because not eating and I already had searched two other places Master pointed out so I'm pretty tired.”

Laxus grumbled something and lifted Freed up bridal style and the swordsman blushed deeply. He was enjoying this more than he should that was sure...

”You can't fly if you don't rest and eat something first”, blond said and started moving. ”We have to spend our night here.”

”Really?” Freed whined.

”Do you have any other ideas?” Laxus asked and Freed sighed yet again.

”No, I guess you're right”, he gave up.

”And for fuck's sake undo the runes already you're wasting your magic.”

 


	18. Chapter 18

Laxus carried Freed up to the cliff nearby and they could see the forest better all the way to the shore. Freed should have guessed that Laxus would set his camp in a place where he could keep an eye on his surroundings.

They arrived at the small cave and Laxus went in. His backpack was on the ground all packed up and fireplace was put out.

”Just sit there”, blond said putting Freed down on the rock. ”I'll relight the fire, fetch water from the stream and then we start cleaning your bruises and take a look at that ankle of yours.”

”It's okay, I'm pretty sure it is only strained a little”, Freed assured. ”I can help.”

”Keep your ass set on that rock”, Laxus snarled and the rune mage froze to his spot when he was just about to get up. ”And don't you dare move it without a really good reason while I'm gone”, he said and grabbed a kettle in his hand. ”And a beetle crawling near you is not a really good reason”, he added and stomped outside the cave.

Freed huffed but smiled. It was nice when Laxus was taking care of him, he had to admit that walking with his ankle as it was right now would be really challenging.. The rune mage opened his white boot and carefully lifted it and his sock from his foot and flinched in pain. His ankle was swollen but not that dark so it  _probably_ wasn't broken. He raised his hand and touched side of his head, hissing quietly. Well, at least there was no more blood.

Freed waited until he heard steps and Laxus came back. The dragon slayer poured some cold water on the other cup and started to relight the fire. Freed took a wash cloth, drench it in cold water and wrapped it around his ankle to decrease swelling.

When fire was burning Laxus put the kettle above it. Then he opened his backpack and pulled out his blankets and other stuff. He looked at Freed when he heard grumbling and the rune mage slightly blushed.

”Just my stomach”, he muttered embarrassed. He must seem absolutely useless right now, his leg injured and not even able to gather some food for himself despite arriving at this island many hours ago. It was pathetic.

”Eat this”, Laxus said and handed over a package. Freed opened it and found two sandwiches.

”Are you sure – fine, fine, I will eat them”, he said quickly when Laxus gave him a warning growl. ”Thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled and took a bite. He really was hungry so sandwiches were gone quickly. ”I'm surprised you found something to eat in this island other than bugs.”

”I didn't. Inside those were grasshoppers meat.”

Freed stared at Laxus pale and shocked.

”W-what?” he stuttered and felt nauseous.

”I'm kidding!” Laxus said quickly. He wasn't but he didn't want Freed to start hurl.

”That was a bad joke, Laxus”, greenette muttered. ”I almost threw up.”

”I'm sorry”, Laxus said. ”I didn't mean to cause that.”

He narrowed his eyes and Freed got confused. Then Laxus grabbed his chin and turned his head.

”You've hurt your head”, he said carefully combing the green hair aside with his fingers so he could see the wound better.

”Yes, when I fell in the lair of beetles”, Freed nodded. ”It's nothing serious, just a scratch.”

”It needs to be cleaned right away when we have clean water”, Laxus murmured letting go of his chin. ”You shouldn't have come here. I don't want you to get hurt.”

”I wanted to find you. We have to talk about what happened.”

”It was something I shouldn't have done, ever”, Laxus muttered. ”You should be able to trust me but instead I did something that horrible...”

”I do trust you, Laxus. I was surprised and scared but I understand it was something you couldn't control at the moment”, Freed assured softly. ”You were mad and really jealous. Your dragon side saw me as a mate who you should claim before someone else could do it. I know you would never do something like that by your own choice, you are not like that.”

”I'm amazed how even after all of that you still can defend my actions”, Laxus huffed. ”You don't have to do that, you know? No, you _shouldn't_ do that.”

”Yes I do or else you wouldn't forgive yourself. Nothing happened in the end, you restrained yourself.”

”This season is making me go crazy, I shouldn't be near you. I might hurt you again, this time I might actually rape you.”

”No you won't, I know it. Besides... It wasn't that bad”, Freed confessed and blushed bright red. ”I mean... It felt good when you were dominating and possessive... But I figured that because you were not in your right mind you would hate yourself after it. That's the biggest reason why I stopped it. You would think that you raped me regardless that I wanted it too. Then it wouldn't be raping but you would still think it that way no matter what I would have told you afterwards.”

Laxus said nothing, just pouring boiled water on another bowl and set the kettle aside so the water would cool off and they could use it as drinking water.

”You're being too hard on yourself, Laxus. Like always”, Freed said worried. ”We can try... doing that now when you are not mad any more. We can proceed slowly and so you actually know what you are doing. I'm sure your dragon side will not interrupt now that there are no threats.”

”You... wanna do it?” Laxus asked confused and looked at Freed. ”Even after...”

”Yes”, Freed said steady. ”Well I mean... we don't need to do it _right now_ ”, he said quickly and his cheeks were burning. ”But when the time is right.”

”Oh...”

”Um... Are you disappointed?”

”Somewhat”, Laxus chuckled and drenched a towel in the bowl. ”Almost started to think about what it would feel like to do it here in the cave or outside under the stars. That means you don't refuse me? That you wanna be my mate?” he asked with hope in his voice.

Freed's cheeks turned even more redder if possible, but he nodded.

”Yes”, he said with a smile. ”More than anything.”

”I'm glad to hear that”, Laxus purred lifting the towel and wiped Freed's cheeks with it tenderly. ”Let's get those scratches and bruises cleaned now and make more food for you.”

”I'm not that hungry any more”, Freed chuckled and took the towel from Laxus' hand and put it on the side of his head on the bump. Laxus started to add disinfectant on wounds that were now clean. ”And what time is it? It's late night already.”

”Past midnight”, Laxus said gently swiping little scratches with cotton wool. ”You sleepy?”

”Yes”, Freed nodded. ”This has been a really long day. But I have to borrow a blanket from you.”

”Like hell you're gonna sleep on a different blanket than me”, Laxus smirked. ”You're sleeping with me.”

”Well, I can never stand against your word”, Freed said smiling.

”Damn right. I just put on the bandages and you can then lay down”, Laxus said and started to wrap up Freed's ankle and at the same time Freed brushed his hair so it wouldn't be a total mess in the morning. He also braided it and then Laxus wrapped a bandage around his head.

”Help me up, will you?” he asked and Laxus pulled him up. Freed limped to the blankets and sat down, unbuckling his belt and he took off his coat.

”You need anything else?” Laxus asked while he packed some of the stuff in his backpack and covered the cave's entry with his big coat.

”No, just some sleep”, Freed said and lied down, using his coat as a pillow.

Laxus put more wood on the fire and then he sat down next to Freed on the blanket and pulled another blanket over them.

”Don't want you to catch a cold”, he murmured and wrapped his big arms around Freed who smiled.

”I won't”, he promised.

Silence landed and only fire crackled.

”Laxus?”

”Hmm?”

”Good night”, Freed said softly.

”Good night, babe”, Laxus said and kissed his mate's cheek and then shut his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Freed in the other hand could only stare at the roof of the cave. He would never get used to the feeling when Laxus was kissing him. It was too wonderful.

 


	19. Chapter 19

It took him two hours before Freed finally got some sleep. That is why in the morning Laxus was really surprised when he woke up but his mate was still sleeping. At first he was concerned, maybe hit on the head was something serious after all or maybe some nasty tiny tick bit him and he was poisoned or...

Freed mumbled something in his sleep and turned his head towards Laxus. He looked peaceful and his skin wasn't pale or anything. Maybe he was just tired enough to sleep late.

Laxus smiled and snuggled his nose against Freed's cheek. It felt nice. He didn't even think about how goofy he was acting he just wanted to keep Freed as close as possible. He had felt horrible when they were apart but it was then the best solution Laxus could think off. But his mate had come after him, assured that nothing was wrong and he wasn't scared or angry.

Seriously, how on earth did Laxus even deserve Freed's loyalty and love? That man had always been so eager to follow him and do what he told him to do, never complaining or standing against his word. Always so tender and worried even if he had a tiny scratch or something...

Laxus would make sure he would return all of that caring and love. He would make sure no one would never hurt Freed or make him sad. He wanted to make his mate smile so he could see that beautiful face all brighten up and he wanted to take care of him so he would be relaxed and feel peaceful.

Blond dragon slayer purred quietly and he squeezed Freed even closer to his chest. That was what woke Freed up.

”Laxus...” green haired man wheezed. ”Laxus, you're strangling me again.”

”Sorry”, Laxus said and loosened his grip a bit. ”Is this better?”

”Yes”, Freed said with a sleepy smile without opening his eyes. ”What time is it?”

”Somewhere around noon.”

”Noon?” Freed said surprised and opened his eyes. ”How long have you been awake? Why didn't you wake me?”

”You needed to have plenty of sleep”, Laxus smiled. ”You had a rough time last night.”

”Maybe but we still need to return to the mainland”, Freed said and Laxus had to let go of him so he could sat up.

”How are you feeling?” blond asked getting up too.

”Better”, Freed assured. ”My head no longer hurts and my ankle feels better. Maybe we don't need to bother Porlyusica after all.”

”No, we will go meet her”, Laxus said and got up on his feet. ”So we can be sure you're alright.”

”Fine”, Freed sighed. ”We should then start moving.”

”You don't wanna eat something first?”

”I'm guessing there is nothing else to eat in this island than bugs”, Freed said looking disgusted. ”And I would rather die in starvation than eat any of them.”

”Okay”, Laxus laughed. ”And I thought you weren't a picky eater”, he taunted playfully.

”I'm not, but even I don't need to tolerate everything”, Freed said and he grabbed Laxus' hand and stood up.

”How's your ankle?”

”I still can't use it but it's not hurting that bad.”

”Good”, Laxus said and helped Freed to sit on a rock. ”You sit there while I pack things up.”

”I'm pretty sure I don't have a choice”, Freed chuckled.

”Yeah you don't.”

 

When everything was ready Freed used his magic and purple rune wings appeared in his back again.

”What about your backpack?” he asked.

”It's meant to remain here”, Laxus explained. ”So whenever I come here I have all the camping supplies I need. Are you sure you'll get to the mainland?” he asked. He would use his lightning so he could travel far away in a short time but he could only use it to himself. ”You won't get too tired on the way?”

”I'm sure”, Freed assured. ”It takes some time but I will arrive there safely.”

”Don't fly near the water surface, I know how much you like it but here it's dangerous.”

”Alright. We will meet again at the mainland”, Freed said nodding and he took off.

Wind whistled in his ears when he speed up after he was out of the island. He stayed at the distance from the water surface and just headed towards the mainland he could hardly see. It was only a dark line on the horizon.

At some point he could hear loud thunder and looked up, just in time to see crackling lightning flash across the skies. It was over in seconds and Freed smiled when thinking that when he would finally arrive in the land, Laxus would already be there waiting. That made his heart flutter and he spinned around in the air.

 

Finally he was near the shore and he lowered himself near the water surface. Here it wouldn't be that dangerous and he had good reflexes if something was about to happen. Freed smiled and unsheathed his sword, tipping it on the water causing splashing behind him. He laughed and rose up high, stopped and let himself fall. He straightened himself just before he hit the water and used the speed he got from falling to fly even faster.

It was always fun. But he only did it when he were alone. If Bickslow or Evergreen saw him doing something childish like this they would tease him the rest of his life about it. This wasn't exactly something you would think that Freed the Dark, captain of the Thunder Legion would do. How Laxus knew about this he wasn't sure but he didn't mind.

The green haired mage landed on the soft grass and he panted. It was still a long way to fly and he haven't yet recovered fully.

”You sure did seem to have fun”, he heard chuckling and turned to look at Laxus and he blushed slightly embarrassed.

”Sometimes it is fun to just do something like that”, he said in his defence.

”Yeah, I believe that”, Laxus said. ”You know what would happen if Bicks saw you doing that?”

”Yes, he would torment me about it at least a month.”

”He would probably start calling you Freed the Fairy Prince or similar”, Laxus laughed and Freed muttered something unclear crossing his arms.

”Don't you ever dare to suggest that name to him or he will most certainly start using it just to tease me.”

”I won't, babe. Let's get you to Porlyusica now and then back to home so we can have something to eat.”

”I need somekind of a walking stick”, Freed said but Laxus grabbed his hand and yanked it over his shoulder.

”Am I good enough?” he chuckled.

”Okay, maybe this time”, Freed smiled.

 

”Get out of here you useless humans!” That was how they were greeted when they arrived at the cottage.

”We wouldn't be here without a reason you old hag!” Laxus snarled back and Freed sighed.

”Is that how you show respect to your elderly? You stupid human!” Porlyusica scolded eyes on Laxus and Freed dodged the broom just in time before it hit him in the face when she swung it around.

”Porlyusica, please”, he said. ”We don't mean to disturb you, but Laxus insisted that we should come by.”

”Oh, you're here”, old woman said now surprised, as if she had just now noticed Freed. ”So Laxus' mate finally arrived.”

”It is nice to see you as brisk as ever, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled. In some odd way, maybe because Freed was always so polite, Porlyusica seemed to tolerate him a little more than the others. Except Wendy of course. ”How have you been?”

”Fine”, Porlyusica said and put his broom down finally. ”So what happened to you, Freed?”

”Just some scratches and maybe strained ankle but Laxus insisted that we should come and see you”, Freed explained.

”I see, he's being overprotective. Okay, come in. And I don't care if your ankle is broken, wipe your shoes clean. I don't want you two idiots to spread mud in my clean house”, she said and returned back in.

”We should do as she instructs”, Freed said to Laxus who just muttered something about a crazy old lady.

”I heard that you little batterylacrima functional toy dragon!” Porlyusica yelled from inside.

”Please? So this is over faster?” Freed said to Laxus who sighed and nodded.

They stepped inside after they carefully wiped their shoes clean and closed the door.

”Sit”, Porlyusica commanded and pointed at the chair, so Freed sat down with Laxus' help. ”These don't seem that bad”, old woman muttered while she examined his bruises. ”And it seems like your head is harder than you think, this bump will disappear in a day or two and won't cause any trouble.”

”Um, thank you?” Freed said.

”But this ankle needs treatment”, Porlyusica said kneeling down. ”It has a slight fracture but I can heal it. But you still should rest your leg for two or three days so I suggest not going to missions.”

”We had no such plans”, Freed assured.

He stayed in his spot when Porlyusica used her magic to heal his ankle. He could feel little tingling but nothing more. 

”Okay, that should do it”, Porlyusica finally said and straightened her back.

”Thank you so much, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled. ”That helped a lot.”

”So, how is the mating season going on with you two?” old woman asked suddenly, making Freed blush and Laxus acted like he was listening his headphones too loud to hear.

”I-I'm not sure what you mean”, Freed stuttered and he was almost choked when Porlyusica grabbed his collar and pulled it out of the way, turning his head from side to side.

”No mark”, she said letting go. ”So you're not committed mates yet.”

”No we are not”, Freed nodded adjusting his collar and scarf.

”You don't have too much time left of this season.”

”I know but it is never a good idea -”

”Just get over with it you two slow pokes, I need notes for my research so I can put together some kind of a book about the mating season”, Porlyusica snapped making Freed jolt. ”I already have other information but since you are both males and Laxus is older than the others I need all the information I can get of what might happen.”

”W-what could happen?” Freed asked now concerned.

”How should I know! That's exactly the reason why you two should start doing something!” Porlyusica said annoyed. ”You two being such laggards nothing will ever happen.”

”Well... What do you think might happen?” 

”Maybe Laxus will stay as he is, overprotective and so on, maybe something will happen to the magic of you two or something like that. Or maybe he will return back to how he was before the season or what if he will become even more aggressive, who knows? There is nothing more than rumours so we need to have some facts.”

There was also one thing that  _maybe_ could happen, but it was better she didn't say it or Freed would never let Laxus touch him. And she needed to know if it really was possible, this was mysterious magic after all and she didn't believe that Laxus could possibly be the first dragon slayer ever to have a mate with same gender.

”So we are your research material right now?”

”If that is how you want to express it, then yes”, Porlyusica said and grabbed her broom again making Freed jump up quickly. Laxus opened his eyes when he sensed ominous danger.

”So take that lazy dragon slayer of yours, go home and try to make him useful! When you have some new information write it down!” she ordered and before they could even say good bye, Freed and Laxus was shoved out of the cottage.

”Always so fucking sunshine”, Laxus grumbled annoyed.

”At least she helped us”, Freed said and he picked up a stick from ground he could use as a help for walking. ”Let's start moving. Do you want to stop at the Guild?”

”Any reason for that?” Laxus asked when they headed towards the town.

”I guess not. But Master would be relieved to hear you are okay.”

”I can tell him later. I wanna go home and eat.”

”Same here”, Freed chuckled.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

It felt like it took forever but finally they arrived at Laxus' house.

”For a moment I thought we would never arrive”, Freed sighed and took off his boots. ”If you would have let me walk normally or at least use my leg even a little bit -”

”Porlyusica said you should rest it”, Laxus said and put his coat on the rack and Freed did same. ”And you refused when I offered to carry you.”

”It wouldn't have killed me to use my leg even a little”, the rune mage said. ”We would have arrived faster.”

”Well we are here now.”

Freed limped on the kitchen and opened the fridge.

”Good, Bicks haven't been here”, he smiled and lifted the stew on the table.

”You did that?” Laxus asked.

”Yes, yesterday at dinnertime. It should be still okay.”

”I'll heat this up, you go sit on the chair”, Laxus said and moved the stew pot above the stove.

”You know what? I might just do that”, Freed chuckled and let himself to slump on the chair in the living room. ”I'm still exhausted because of yesterday.”

”Now you have three days to rest.”

”Two or three days.”

”Three days.”

”But if two days is enough -”

”Three days”, Laxus said stubbornly and Freed huffed.

”I hope Ever and Bicks won't get disappointed”, the green haired mage said. ”Maybe they had already planned something.”

”It can wait. And speak of the devil”, Laxus murmured and almost at the same second the door flew open.

”Baby! You okay?!” Bickslow shouted and Freed gasped when he was pulled in a tight hug. ”You guys have been missing since yesterday! Max just told me he saw you two walking in the street and you were using a cane!”

”Owie! Poor Freed!” his dolls wailed and one snuggled against Freed's cheek. ”Don't cry!”

”I'm fine, Bicks”, the rune mage sighed and pushed 'babies' aside. ”My ankle just got strained.”

”It was broken”, Laxus corrected. ”Bicks, hands off”, he snarled and Bickslow quickly let go of Freed.

”Sorry. So, did you guys go see Porlyusica?” the seith mage asked.

”Yes, Laxus insisted”, Freed nodded.

”Where were you two? In a honeymoon?” Bickslow grinned and his dolls giggled.

”Not exactly”, Freed said and shivered when remembering that horrible island and what it held inside.

”We were at the Beetlenest Island”, Laxus explained.

”What?! How you managed to drag Freed there?” Bickslow asked surprised.

”Actually I didn't know what there was before I got there”, Freed huffed. ”But enough about that. Why were you trying to find us?”

”Oh, nothing serious. We were thinking with Ever if we could go to a mission all of us. We found this really good one where we need to help one rich geezer go safely to the other town and we will get three nights there in a good hotel near the beach for free and a good amount of cash.”

”Sounds actually really nice”, Freed hummed with approval.

”And it's not until two weeks from now so you guys have enough time to concentrate on this mating season first”, Bicks grinned making Freed blush.

”Good, otherwise I wouldn't agree with it”, Laxus just stated without hesitation.

”So it's settled. What are we eating?” Bicks asked curiously. ”Who did this stew?”

”Freed.”

”Okay, then I'm hungry”, tall man with helmet grinned and grabbed a plate.

”Who said you can have any?” Laxus said but with playful tone.

”Freed always makes enough for all of us, right baby?” Bicks said looking at Freed who crossed his arms.

”Old habits die hard”, the rune mage smiled. ”There should be plenty for us so no one remains hungry.”

”That's our captain”, Bickslow grinned and filled his plate while Laxus brought one to Freed. The Tiki dolls landed on the coffee table and settled there.

”So what have you been doing, Bicks?” Freed asked and looked at the dolls. They seemed unnaturally tired. Or as tired as dolls possibly could look.

”Oh, nothing”, Bicks grinned. ”Nothing you should worry.”

”Why are you saying I shouldn't worry?” Freed asked narrowing his eyes.

”Uh oh...” the mage with visor suddenly gasped when he glimpsed outside of the window.

”Bickslow!” they could hear Ever's angry shout and again the door was almost ripped off from it's frame. ”I'm going to freaking murder you!” brunette yelled and Bickslow did his best to hide behind Laxus – it didn't work well since he was slightly taller than the Thunder God. His dolls jolted and hid behind Freed's chair, trembling there in fear.

”Ever, what did he do now?” Freed sighed just eating his meal. This wasn't anything unusual in their team.

”Freed, glad you're home sweetie”, Ever smiled but that smile turned cold and deadly when she glared back at Bickslow. ”That bonehead blew up my wardrobe!” she screamed pointing at Bickslow.

”Blew up... Bicks, how on earth you managed to do that?” Freed asked confused.

”I only needed to borrow quickly one thing -”

”Please, don't tell us _what_ you were going to borrow from Ever's wardrobe and _why_ ”, Laxus snorted.

”You had no permission to enter my room! Or go through my clothes!” Ever screamed furiously. ”No man has never permission to go pry on lady's wardrobe! Even you should understand that much!”

”But it doesn't count if it's not really a _lady's_ wardrobe, baby”, Bickslow cackled and was hit in the face by a shoe.

”Bickslow”, Freed said before there would erupt bigger fight in the house. ”Ever's right. What you did was utterly wrong. We agreed in the rules when we moved in that house and one of the rules was that we should respect each others personal space. You broke that rule.”

”I'm sorry, Freed”, Bickslow said quickly. It would never end well if you ended up breaking one of Freed's rules. Even Laxus followed those rules carefully. ”I can fix that wardrobe for her.”

”You will most definitely do that”, Freed said.

”And then we can be buddies again?” the blue haired seith mage asked with a glimpse of hope in his voice and his dolls peeked behind Freed's chair.

”Come up with some really juicy punishment, Freed”, Ever giggled. Freed might not like it when someone broke his rules but he sure did enjoy too much when he could come up with different punishments.

Freed smiled slightly what made Bickslow sweat.

”Today you will fix Ever's wardrobe”, Freed finally said. ”And tomorrow you will spend all day with Ever in the town shopping.”

”That's just cruel, man!” Bickslow whined and Laxus shivered.

”That's what happens when you break the rules. And you will carry everything and pay everything. And you will not whine or complain while doing so.”

”But then she's gonna spend all of my money!”

”Unfair! Freed's cruel!” 'babies' scolded.

”You destroyed all of her clothes”, Freed reminded with adamant tone. ”So it's only fair that you replace them.”

”Thank you Freed!” Ever chirped and hugged Freed with joy. ”Will you come with us tomorrow? I know this new place where you could find new shirts that will go great with your look. I could buy you a new shirt as a gift”, she purred.

”Hey! It's me who's paying!” Bickslow growled annoyed.

”I know, but it's still a gift from me”, Ever smirked smugly.

”He can't go with you guys, he needs to rest”, Laxus said and brought second helping of food for Freed and sat down to eat his own. ”Porlyusica said he shouldn't use his leg too much for three days.”

”Only couple of hours won't hurt me”, Freed said. ”It's not like I can't use my leg at all and you know it.”

”No and that's final”, Laxus decided and for a moment there was a silence in the living room. Ever and Bickslow didn't know if this was good or bad, Laxus being so overprotective. Freed wasn't exactly a person who was used of being taken care of instead of taking care of the others.

Freed sighed. This was not the best situation to have a conversation about Laxus' ridiculous behaviour so he just let it go.

”How did you guys find this escort mission?” he asked so they could move into the next topic before the atmosphere was completely ruined.

”I got really lucky, I happened to be near when Mirajane was pinning the new mission sheets on the board”, Bickslow explained and he also took second helping of food. Ever decided to join them. ”I grabbed it in the instant I saw it.”

”We're lucky! We're good!” his dolls snickered smugly.

They ate and chatted what they would do in those three days in the beach and hotel. Ever couldn't wait to get to go sunbathing, Bickslow wanted to go snorkelling and build sandcastles. Even Laxus sounded exited, saying how it would be nice to explore the surroundings at the beach. Freed of course could hardly wait to go through all the book stores in the town and then read the books while sitting under the sunshade. And of course Bicks and Laxus were also wondering if there might be a casino in the town.

Greenette put the empty plate on the coffee table and yawned and stretched.

”I think I'm going to take a hot bath”, he decided and carefully stood up. ”I'm glad I packed my lavender oil in my bag yesterday. Nothing else could possibly untangle this mess”, he sighed and brushed his green hair with his fingers. It wasn't in that bad of a condition since he braided it for the night but still.

”I'll go make your bath ready”, Ever offered walking in the bathroom.

”Thank you, Ever”, Freed smiled. ”So maybe I should do -”

”I'll do the dishes”, Bickslow grinned and grabbed all the plates and skipped to the kitchen.

”So what am I supposed to do?” Freed said confused.

Finger snatched his belt loop and he was pulled on Laxus' lap.

”You can sit here in the couch with me”, blond grinned. ”And after the bath I wanna see you wearing my clothes again”, he whispered making Freed blush rapidly.

”Laxus, I have my own pair of change...”

”Who cares. You look better in my clothes and it's not like you're going somewhere today.”

Freed had no idea how he should take that comment. Was Laxus planning something?

 

Bath was set ready and Freed took his towel and pair of changes with him, closing the door after him. Voices from the living room got muffled quite well and that was fine, Freed really needed some time in his own thoughts.

He dropped his clothes in the laundry basket and put his towel on the hook on the wall. Then finally he could sank on the bathtub, sighing when his body finally started to relax. He planned to soak himself here until water would turn cold. This was exactly what he needed so he could forget all those ugly insects from yesterday…

He opened his turquoise eyes when he recalled what they spoke with Laxus then. And immediately his face turned bright red when he remembered what he promised.

They… would do it at some point. Well, sure, it was something that would happen eventually since he did accept being Laxus' mate. But when? And how? He had absolutely no experience in this area. He had of course fantasized all kinds of things… But this was reality! He had never believed that Laxus would ever be interested at him that way so Freed never thought how things would actually go.

Freed sighed and for a moment he let himself sank under the water, green hair floating all around the surface. Should it happen spontaneously? Or should they talk about it first? Oh god, maybe Laxus thought he had already had sex with someone and waited better experience than he could offer? Maybe it would only end in awkwardness and then everything would be ruined...

Freed gasped as he had to plop his head back to surface finally. The more he thought about this, more he had questions. Has Laxus ever done it with a man? Would he wait Freed to make the first move? Should they have some good wine or food or music...

With these thoughts Freed soaked himself in the bath for a good amount of time before he finally got up. He shifted to the shower and started to clean his hair delicately, still trying to figure what he should do. Maybe he should prepare a good dinner for Laxus? It certainly didn't sound like a bad idea. He was so nervous, maybe it would help? And yeah, maybe they really should talk these things through so they both knew what to wait and how to proceed.

Yes. That was his new plan. Now he felt more confident and not that nervous. Plans and rules always helped no matter what the situation.

Freed brushed his hair and this time he decided not to tie it up and his lightning bolt cowlicks appeared neither he wanted it or not so he did nothing for them. It was nice to let his hair open for time to time.

He dressed up – his own pants and Laxus' old orange hoodie – and stepped out of the bathroom. He was ready to take on whatever taunts Bickslow would throw at him because of the too large shirt that made him appear smaller than he was, but he was surprised when he could only hear silence.

”Laxus?” Freed called when he came to the living room but didn't see his teammates. ”Bicks? Ever?” He opened the door to the little backyard but no one was there. Laxus' bedroom and quest room were also empty.

Where did they go? And why didn't they say something? Was it something urgent at the Guild? If it was, as the captain of the Thunder Legion he should be present too! It wasn't like he couldn't move at all!

Freed rushed to his coat and noticed there was a note on it. He recognized immediately Laxus' handwriting.

 

' _Freed. Old man send us a word to meet him at the Guild. You stay home, he will understand that you need rest_ .'

 

Freed narrowed his eyes. What was this? So this whole rule about how they shouldn't leave notes but tell each other face to face where they were going was not something that Laxus needed to follow? Oh he would so make sure that his mighty Thunder God would regret his decision badly.

 

' _I repeat: You stay home. That's and order_ .'

 

Freed gritted his teeth slightly and fight back so he wouldn't tear the note apart. Laxus knew he couldn't go against his orders! But what if this was something important and he should be there to hear it? He was not immobilized!

For a moment Freed actually considered breaking Laxus' orders this one time and go to the Guild, but then he saw Bickslow's sloppy handwriting at the corner of the note.

 

' _If you need something to do you can spend your time guessing where I hid your boots_ !' And then there was a strange little drawing only Bickslow could tell what it was supposed to mean. Maybe it was for the best.

 

Freed scrunched the note into a tiny ball and threw it in to the garbage can. He took a deep breath and sighed, rubbing his temples trying to calm down. They did not do this just to annoy him, he needed to remember that. They just wanted him to rest. They were his teammates and only wanted to take care of him like he would do to them.

But damn he was still irritated! He limped back to the living room and sat down on the couch, trying to figure what he should do now. He felt himself so useless and he didn't like it one bit. He was used to always have something to do, especially when he was annoyed of something but now he didn't even have anything to clean!

The rune mage lifted the remote and turned on the lacrimavision. At this state of mind he couldn't concentrate reading so he could as well watch some brainless show until it was time to start doing dinner.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so SMUT HERE! You've been warned. At first I thought about splitting this into two chapters and publishing them at the same time but it felt like too much of a hassle. So instead I will use XXX to mark where you can stop if you're not interested reading smut. You shouldn't miss a thing. This is my first time to write smut in English so I hope it's even decent ^^'  
> Oh, maybe I should take this opportunity and thank you for all those comments and kudos! I have still lots of ideas for this story but those comments and kudos are what really make me wanna write more and more every day and try to get better!

It was already getting dark when Laxus arrived at his house. Damn that old geezer, he had better things to do than talk about some Autumn Festival or whatever it was. Makarov said they had to talk about it now since they needed to start doing decorations and practice shows and so on.

Laxus opened the door with his keys. He smelled Freed and was relieved that the younger man had followed his orders and stayed home. Or maybe it was because the rune mage didn't figure out where Bickslow hidden his boots. Either way he just hoped Freed wasn't too mad. Although, Freed never got really angry about anything, hardly even yelled with his full voice like others in the Guild. Laxus wasn't sure he had ever seen Freed totally losing his temper, that just seemed impossible.

Blond man locked the door behind him, took his shoes and coat off and stepped on the living room where he could hear lacrimavision was on. At least Freed was irritated or else he wouldn't be watching lacrimavision when alone.

Laxus arched his eyebrows when he looked at Freed who had fallen asleep on the couch. Slightly curled up, hair open and spread around and revealing his whole face that looked really peaceful. And he had put on Laxus' old orange hoodie like he wished. It looked really good on greenette. Especially when Freed had been tossing and turning in his sleep so the hem of the hoodie had moved up revealing pale, beautiful skin and rather alluring abs and hips. If only those pants were a little lower...

Laxus just stood there heart racing and looking at the sight and he really, really wanted to wake up his mate, drag him in to the bedroom and get rid off those clothes. But he needed to restrain himself. Even though Freed did forgive him what he did earlier he knew the smaller man must have been scared of him and the situation.

Laxus flinched when suddenly Freed moved and mumbled something that he couldn't quite hear even with his dragon slayer's hearing. He smiled and walked next to the couch and kneeled closer.

”What Freed? Did you say something?” he purred softly.

”Hmm... it's huge...” Freed mumbled what made Laxus smirk.

”Oh really? What is?” he whispered near Freed's ear. ”Tell me what is huge, babe.”

”The beetle...” Freed murmured and now he frowned slightly with fear.

Laxus sighed head dropping. And here he was hoping Freed was seeing erotic dreams about him. He should have guessed this would happen.

”You're hopeless”, he huffed with amused smile. ”Just forget those damn insects already”, he murmured and kissed his mate's cheek which even in sleep developed shy red colour in it.

Laxus put his arm behind Freed's shoulders and other arm behind his knees, lifting him gently up without waking him. Freed was not lightweight with all his slim but strong muscles, but still light enough for Laxus to carry him. So he carried him in the bedroom and put him on the bed where he could sleep properly.

He was just about to turn when he heard a yawn.

”Laxus?” Freed said trying to shake off drowsiness.

”Hey sleepyhead”, Laxus smiled. ”Have you been sleeping all this time?”

”Like I had anything better to do”, Freed sneered annoyed. ”What happened at the Guild?” Freed demanded to know and sat up.

”Nothing serious”, Laxus answered. ”Old man just decided we should arrange some kind of an Autumn Festival or like that.”

”Oh?” Freed said blinking. ”With the whole Guild?”

”Yeah.”

”For the whole town?”

”Yeah, he had all these big stupid ideas like making Gray freeze over the park's pond so people could go ice skating and asking if Eve could come help us with his snow magic and make winter appear at the park. And he wanted of course fireworks, lots of food and booze and Natsu to make sure that in the beach it would be like summertime so he could watch how hot young chicks run around playing volleyball in tiny bikinis”, he snorted.

”That... does sound like him”, Freed said. ”But it is a nice idea, having a festival”, he smiled thinking about it.

But then he glared at Laxus who winced.

”A note, Laxus? For real?” he asked again annoyed and stood up from the bed. ”Are you kidding me?”

”I told you, you should rest”, Laxus said crossing his arms.

” _You_ were the one who set the rule for no notes.”

”It's not a rule, I just want you to tell me where you are going so I can come with you.”

”Really? But _you_ don't need to tell _me_ where you are going so I can come with you?”

”It's not like I have any intentions to go somewhere, except maybe to the store or something so we have something to eat”, Laxus said.

”And still just three hours ago you left me a note because you went somewhere and didn't come tell me face to face”, Freed reminded.

”You were in the bath, exhausted and injured and needed rest. I figured that if I told you then you would start instist that we take you with us saying that it might be important or something and then you wouldn't rest.”

”I'm not injured, Laxus”, Freed stated with adamant tone. ”Porlyusica healed my leg, I can walk. I only need some rest and I can't go into missions but don't treat me like I almost died or something.”

”Well you did almost die, wasn't it me who had to kill that wasp before it could attack you since you didn't have any magic left to fight and your leg was stuck in roots?” Laxus snarled and now Freed was really starting to make him angry with his arguing.

”We don't know what would have happened, I might as well could have stabbed that wasp dead before it could attack me”, Freed snapped.

”I couldn't take a risk like that! I just want you to be safe!” Laxus shouted sparks emitting from his hair. ”You're my mate!”

It looked like something snapped finally in Freed's head.

”Don't you dare think this is only one sided thing!” he yelled. ”I'm not your princess you need to protect! If you want me to be your mate then you are mine and I'm equal with you! I have just as much of a right to be worried about you, try to keep you safe and most of all stand by your side as a proud mate who fights with you! Not hiding somewhere behind so stop treating me like I'm too weak to take care of myself! I'm the damn captain of the Thunder Legion and almost an S-class wizard, you yourself have complimented how strong I am! Right now you are just acting like a stupid fool who overreacts things! Did I make myself clear you fucking lightning iguana?!”

Freed huffed catching his breath and didn't stop glaring at Laxus who stood in his place frozen, eyes widened. For a moment neither of them said a thing.

”... Iguana?” Laxus finally asked.

”Got a problem with that?” Freed growled narrowing his eyes dangerously.

”No, I guess it's better than chameleon... somehow...” Laxus muttered and then he suddenly smirked.

”What?” Freed asked now confused.

”You're so god damn sexy when you snap like that”, blond dragon slayer growled aroused, making Freed blush by surprise. ”I _really_ wanna kiss you now, babe”, Laxus purred wrapping his hands around Freed.

”That depends”, the rune mage said with sly chuckle. ”Will you accept my terms?”

”What?”

”You heard me.”

Laxus stared at Freed for a moment.

”Fine, have it your way”, he finally smirked and leaned down kissing those soft lips. Maybe it was the adrenaline that came from fighting but Freed didn't even hesitate this time to kiss back and he touched Laxus' muscles in his back, letting his hands trail where they wanted to go. He wasn't nervous any more and didn't think too much, even when he suddenly realised they were already on the bed.

 

XXX

 

”I like seeing that hoodie on you but I like it even better when I can take it off”, Laxus purred lifting the shirt up and Freed gasped when soft tongue touched his nipple. Laxus kept slowly removing the shirt until it was off. ”How on earth do you manage to keep your skin this perfect?” Laxus hummed licking Freed's collarbones and his hand caressed his hip.

”Um, well... I do use runes to cover some scars”, Freed confessed.

”Really?” Laxus asked surprised and looked at his mate's face. ”You do have scars?”

”I'm a swordsman, Laxus”, Freed chuckled. ”And a mage from Fairy Tail. You actually believe I have never gotten any scars?”

”I guess I never realized. Are they big scars?”

”One is.”

”Can you show them for me someday?”

”Maybe”, Freed huffed.

”Good”, Laxus growled and suddenly he moved down, making Freed's face heat up.

”L-Laxus”, he said quickly when dragon slayer grabbed his belt starting to unbuckle it.

”Everything's fine, babe. You can tell me if you don't like something and I will back off”, Laxus purred softly. ”You want me to back off?” he asked looking at Freed.

”I don't... I mean... um... No?” greenette finally whispered what made Laxus chuckle. He looked so adorable, so innocent.

”Okay”, he said and unzipped Freed's pants, pulling them slowly lower. ”Did that fight turn you on that much?” Laxus smirked looking at the bulge in Freed's boxers.

”I-it's not like I can help it”, the rune mage defended himself. ”Didn't it affect you?”

”Hell yeah it did, I'm so hard it hurts”, Laxus assured kissing Freed's lower abs softly.

Freed couldn't help that he felt a little embarrassed when Laxus stripped him completely. Laxus had seen him naked before but this was different. Laxus was touching and caressing him, studying him...

”You look really nice”, Laxus said. ”I bet you also taste good”, he smirked and Freed could hardly keep himself quiet when big hand hold his member. And he let out tiny whimper when he could feel tongue slowly licking and a hand started to move.

It felt so good! Freed trembled slightly and stared at the roof. Oh god he really hoped he wouldn't come too fast! But when Laxus was touching him this way...

”You're rather sensitive, I like it”, Laxus chuckled. ”Are you still a virgin?”

Freed nodded staying silent, since he couldn't trust himself to not moan if he opened his mouth.

”Really?” Laxus hummed and gave the member in his hand another long slow lick, making Freed twitch. ”That's good, I don't want anyone else to ever touch you like this. You're only mine, I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel good and satisfied and I will do it with pleasure”, he said and Freed's eyes widened when he felt Laxus' lips and then warm mouth.

He moaned louder than he wanted but couldn't stop himself. Laxus was actually sucking his cock and even in his fantasies it never felt this good. It was like Laxus knew exactly how to make him whine and moan and he hardly could restrain himself of not moving his hips.

”Laxus...” he panted slightly. ”At this rate...”

”You're feeling so good you already wanna come?” Laxus asked lifting his head and grinned, making Freed blush harder.

”I just... When you're touching me I can't help it”, he muttered.

”Then why don't you just come?”

”I... I want this to last... as long as possible”, Freed said cheeks burning and he felt dizzy in a good way.

”Is that so?” the dragon slayer smirked. ”Maybe I want you to come so I can hear how much you're enjoying when I touch you?”

”Please... ” Freed whined.

Laxus stood up on his knees.

”Alright”, he said with smile and unbuttoned his shirt. ”But in return you won't try to stop those beautiful voices you're making”, he said and Freed nodded.

Hand brushed away green hair from his face.

”And no hiding”, Laxus purred low. ”There is no need to do that. Maybe we should then speed things up since you're so eager?” he chuckled. ”I guess I have no choice.”

Freed just couldn't bring himself to say a word to that, watching how Laxus opened his night stand drawer and grabbed a bottle of lube. Then blond removed his shirt tossing it on the floor and sat down.

”Since I removed your pants, maybe you should return the favour?” he suggested slyly.

”O-of course”, Freed stuttered and got up.

He moved in front of Laxus and he trembled again. Because of excitement, lust and if he was honest with himself, he was a tiny bit scared. But not in a bad way. He reached to the belt with his slender fingers and unbuckled it. Laxus' pants were already tight and he remembered what he had felt earlier when they almost had sex.

Carefully he unzipped black pants and then he shifted boxers beneath them. Shivers run down his spine when he could see Laxus length in it's all glory, hard and just waiting for him to touch it.

”I-it's... really...” Freed stuttered gulping.

”Big? I don't wanna sound egoistic but yeah”, Laxus said with smug smile. ”And it's all yours, baby.” That sounded really, really good in Freed's ears. Yes, all his and from this day on only he could touch Laxus and bring him that way pleasure.

Freed brushed the big member with his fingers making it twitch slightly. Then he placed his hand around it and gave it a little squeeze. It was so damn hard. He couldn't hold back, he had to know how it tasted!

Laxus purred looking at his swordsman who was studying him. And he actually surprised when suddenly Freed bend down and without hesitation took him in his mouth.

”Wow, you really don't wanna waste time”, Laxus laughed softly, brushing Freed's hair. Freed only nodded since he couldn't speak. Laxus was big enough that he couldn't take his full length in his mouth but he gently helped with his hand. ”You must be a natural”, Laxus chuckled. ”That feels really good.”

Laxus' praises made Freed want to do his very best and try even harder so he could make Laxus moan from overwhelming pleasure.

But he flinched slightly when big hand gently grabbed his ass.

”Just keep sucking”, Laxus whispered. ”I'll prep you. I'll do my best so it won't hurt you too much but... Well, you can guess.”

Yes he could. Laxus was really big and it was slightly scary, since Freed had never done it before. But he wanted it badly so he nodded and kept sucking the hot member in his mouth. He slightly twitched when he felt a slick finger in his entrance, teasing him little bit before pushing in.

That didn't hurt. It felt odd but good, making Freed moan. Soon Laxus put another finger in and now he winced slightly because of pain.

”It's okay, love”, Laxus murmured brushing his hair softly. ”Just relax.”

Freed groaned when fingers started to move once the pain was over and he got used to the stretch. Suddenly Laxus pulled fingers out and he got confused. Then he got pulled up on Laxus' lap straddling, their chests against each other and their members touching.

”W-what now?” he asked putting his hand around Laxus neck. ”Did I do something wrong?” he asked worried.

”I just figured maybe this would be easier for you”, Laxus said holding Freed firmly close. ”You wanna continue?”

”Yes”, Freed said without even a hint of hesitation. ”It did hurt a little bit but I got used to it fast.”

”Good”, Laxus grinned and Freed moaned again when fingers found their way back in.

Slowly Laxus stretched him more and more, added third finger and Freed gritted his teeth. But he still liked this very much. It felt really good when Laxus moved his fingers and he yelped when suddenly he felt a new sensation.

”Found it”, Laxus chuckled smugly. ”I think I'm gonna tease you a little while from there”, he smirked and Freed squirmed when fingers touched his sweet spot again.

”L-Laxus...” he gasped and his grip tightened.

”That sounds really nice”, Laxus growled. ”Say it more.”

”Laxus”, Freed obeyed eagerly and groaned loud when fingers moved faster.

”I love it when you say my name that way”, Laxus smirked and watched how Freed wriggled and whined with pleasure.

He continued that a while and Freed panted and moved his hips against the hand. Then suddenly Laxus pulled his fingers out and greenette yelped when falling on his back on the mattress.

”Can't wait any longer”, Laxus murmured appearing above him, removing his pants completely. ”Just try to relax, babe”, he whispered licking Freed's neck and lifted his legs.

Freed trembled slightly staring at the roof. This was really happening. Oh god, it really was happening! He took a deep breath when feeling Laxus at his entrance and when blond mage pushed in, he gritted his teeth.

”Relax”, Laxus murmured in his ear.

”It hurts more than I thought...” Freed whined shutting his eyes.

”You wanna stop?”

”No! I just... Just do it slowly okay?”

”I will”, Laxus purred and when Freed had adjusted more, he shifted deeper slowly. It pained him when he heard Freed inhale fast and whimper quietly but he knew his mate was brave and could endure the pain. ”Relax, it won't hurt long.” Freed nodded and his hold tightened around Laxus more when blond kept penetrating.

He had no idea how long it took time but finally Laxus was all in. Freed panted when trying to get used to the pain and he felt sweat in his forehead.

”You feel really good, love”, Laxus praised. ”You're doing good”, he complimented, trying to get his mate relax more so the pain would loosen.

”Just... give me a second...” Freed whispered voice shaking.

”Of course, babe.”

Finally pain was starting to fade and Freed gave Laxus a sign to start moving. He flinched a little bit at first but it started to feel really good really fast.

”L... Laxus...” he moaned as Laxus was kissing, sucking and licking his neck and increased his pace.

”Keep saying my name”, Laxus commanded.

Freed groaned and whined louder when Laxus really started to move. It was heavenly! He just repeated Laxus name making the dragon slayer move even faster, adjusting himself so he would hit Freed's sweet spot every time and that made greenette's voice louder. He didn't even care if someone heard them, this felt too good to be worrying something like that.

”Laxus! I...” he panted hair spread all over the mattress and tangled. ”I'm going to...”

Laxus didn't say a thing but made Freed whimper again by grabbing his cock and stroking fast. Freed squirmed slightly tossing his head side to side, moved his hips against Laxus and for a moment he tried to stop himself from coming, but finally he just had to give in.

He yelled loudly as the powerful sensation flushed over his body. His cum spurted on his stomach causing a mess. Freed just trembled, he felt better than ever and never he had had an orgasm like that! He was starting to drift off sleepy Laxus still moving when suddenly he yelled again but this time in pain.

It didn't hurt much but it startled him when Laxus bit him in his neck. His back arched and eyes widened.

”Laxus!” he shouted in pain and satisfaction when he felt like a lightning pass trough him. It was immense power, he could feel Laxus' magic and it felt like he was having another mighty orgasm. Nothing more fit in his head than pleasure.

Finally the feeling started to soothe and now he felt really sleepy. He could hear Laxus panting heavily.

”It was... wonderful”, Freed chuckled tiredly.

”Yeah...” Laxus muttered and kissed Freed. ”I'm sorry if it hurt too much.”

”No, don't be. It couldn't be avoided and it was not unbearable”, Freed assured smiling and run his fingers through blond hair. ”But now I'm really tired.”

”Me too. That was really something”, Laxus laughed softly. ”I don't believe my dick could possibly get up for another round.”

”We can do it again later when we have rested”, Freed hummed.

Laxus nodded and pulled himself out. Then he slumped himself next to Freed, tossed blanket over them and wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful, now exhausted mate.

”Let's just sleep”, he murmured kissing Freed's cheek.

”You know, it would be better if we take quick shower and clean up…”

”Too tired, it’s not that bad”, Laxus muttered an was already drifting to sleep. Freed smiled and shut his eyes feeling so happy and loved, how could he ever fall asleep? Still, after ten seconds they were both deep sleep.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Freed woke up in the morning feeling like he was full of energy. He couldn't stop smiling when he watched his Thunder God's face while he was sleeping. Laxus was snoring like always and looked peaceful. Snoring was usually something that most people hated about their partner but Freed enjoyed it. Laxus' snoring was like a thunder you could hear far from the sea, soft and low. Not too loud so it would keep awake. For Freed it was calming and he felt safe, but also relaxed since he knew that Laxus' was feeling well and nothing was wrong. But he could guess that whoever else would step into the room, lights off and hearing that snoring they would know instantly there was something in the room they did not want to wake up.

Freed hummed and reached to touch that jagged scar, then nose and lips. The swordsman chuckled when Laxus' nose creased slightly in his sleep when finger was tingling. Freed smiled, kissed those lips softly and carefully shifted Laxus' hands so he could sat up.

And when he did he sneered in pain. This could cause problems... 

”Why are you up already?” Laxus suddenly grumbled and yawned loudly.

”Good morning”, Freed smiled. ”You know I like to wake up early.”

”Why can't you just go back to sleep?” Laxus murmured wrapping his arms around Freed's slim waist.

”I want to get a shower, clean myself, brush my hair and start doing breakfast”, Freed said ruffling Laxus' hair. ”You can sleep as long as you like.”

”Maybe I will do that. Or maybe I'll get up too and join you in the shower”, Laxus grinned and yawned again. ”What time is it?”

”It's already eight.”

”Already? More like barely...”

”We should go to the Guild today since we didn't go there yesterday. And before that I need to fetch more clothes from home.”

”I don't feel like going to the Guild”, Laxus huffed and turned to lay on his back. ”And you should still rest.”

”Do you remember anything what we discussed yesterday?” Freed asked dryly.

”I remember you yelling my name really loud”, Laxus grinned. ”I liked it, still rings in my ears. I should have recorded it so I could hear it over and over again with my headphones.”

”I'm serious, Laxus”, Freed said frowning. ”I meant what I said. Don't patronize me. I like it when you take care of me and pamper me but don't expect me to change. I'm not stopping being the captain of the Thunder Legion and you must remember that I can take care of myself. You are not allowed to treat me like some kind of a princess. Don't push your luck with me in this topic.”

”But you could be my beautiful prince, Freed”, Laxus teased pulling Freed down and kissing him. ”And I want to keep you safe.”

”Laxus!” Freed shouted frustrated.

”Fine, baby”, Laxus sighed rolling his eyes. ”Just teasing you a little. I can't promise anything but I try. But if you're in serious danger you can be sure as hell I will do something.”

”Of course if things really go bad I'm grateful that you help me”, Freed smiled. ”I always trust that you will be there when I really need you, I always have. But relax now. My ankle is feeling normal so I can walk to the Guild”, he assured and lifted himself up. ”Now I will go to the shower and then I will brush my hair”, he smiled when getting up from the bed.

”Nice view”, Laxus grinned looking at his mate's naked body. ”Are you hurting?”

”Somewhat”, Freed shrugged. ”But it will fade, hot shower should help”, he smiled and stepped on the hallway.

 

After the shower Freed gently brushed his hair and tied it from the bottom like he usually did. Then he took out his change of clothes and dressed up. When he was putting on his white silk shirt, he stopped and turned around in front of the big mirror.

There was now round mark in his neck low enough so collar could cover it. It was pale yellow and clearly like a lightning bolt. But he was slightly worried since the lightning didn't stop inside the mark, instead it continued – lighter – until it reached his lower back, spreading and scattering around his upper back and on his left arm like reaching out for his guild mark. It looked like Laxus had actually given him scars with lightning.

”I think it's beautiful”, he suddenly heard Laxus saying.

”You do?” Freed asked looking at his Thunder God who was standing at the door. He had found at least his pants.

”Yeah”, Laxus smirked walking over to him and grabbed him in his embrace. ”It's not too visible but enough. It looks really sensual”, he purred licking the mark softly and it made Freed shiver. His skin felt really sensitive under the mark. He could actually feel how his skin was tingling like there was tiny little sparkles dancing all around his neck. Maybe the mark was responding to Laxus' magic.

”Well, I'm glad you think that way”, Freed chuckled. ”It would have been really bad if it looked awful.”

”You could never look awful”, Laxus assured.

”Why thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled flattered.

”Would you cook me an extra plate of bacon now?”

”So that was your aim. I was actually thinking about going home.”

”What? Why?” Laxus asked quickly and looked confused.

”If I start doing breakfast, maybe I should do it at home so Bicks and Ever can have some too?” Freed said and buttoned his shirt when Laxus let go of him. ”If I don't, they would probably just come here anyway. We can still come back here after that and visiting the Guild”, Freed promised and started to tie his ascot scarf.

”Good. For a slight moment I thought you didn't want to stay”, Laxus huffed.

”Of course I want to stay”, Freed laughed and kissed Laxus who looked now relieved. ”Take a shower, shave that stubble and dress up so we can go.”

”Bossy, are we?” Laxus chuckled.

”I can be, I know exactly how much you like my cooking”, Freed smirked.

 

Once Laxus was ready they started their journey across the town in the sunny weather.

”You wanna walk slower?” Laxus grinned smugly making Freed blush.

”I'm absolutely fine”, he said irritated. ”There is no need to worry.”

”Just checking. There's no shame admitting that you're hurting”, Laxus said and Freed jumped when the hand slapped his ass slightly but it was enough for him to feel slight pain.

”It hurts if you do that”, he scolded even more redder from his face. ”So please stop.”

”Okay”, Laxus laughed.

They arrived at the house and Bickslow and Evergreen were still sleeping.

”See? Normal people don't get up this early without a good reason”, Laxus said slumping in the chair.

”And you consider us as normal?” Freed said playfully. ”Because I certainly don't.”

”Point taken”, Laxus laughed. ”So what are you planning to do?”

”If I don't make bacon, you and Bicks are just gonna whine about it during the whole breakfast”, Freed chuckled. ”So maybe I should do omelets with bacon, cheese, leek and sweet pepper filling?”

”Yes you should”, Laxus grinned. ”It's been forever since you did those last time and holy hell they are delicious.”

Freed smiled brightly and started to make breakfast. He always felt so proud and overjoyed when Laxus praised his cooking. First he cut the peppers, leek and bacon to pieces on the pan and started to roast them. At the same time he also grated the cheese. When the good smell of bacon started to fill the house, they could hear how the door from the attic creaked open.

”One is up”, Freed hummed with amusement as they heard thumping from the stairs.

Bickslow yawned and was stretching as he came down the stairs.

”Good morning you two”, he grinned. 

”Good morning Freed! Good morning Laxus!” ’babies’ blabbered and circled around Freed and Laxus.

”Morning”, Laxus said.

”I smell something really, really good.”

”Freed's bacon omelets”, Laxus said.

”Awesome!” Bickslow shouted with excitement clapping his hands.

”Awesome! Awesome!” his Tiki dolls chanted twirling around the kitchen. Of course they wouldn't eat anything but they were always ready to join into yelling and cheering.

”Don't yell, you're going to wake up Ever”, Freed said.

”So what? It's not like it's bad for her to wake up earlier sometimes”, Bickslow cackled and started to make coffee.

”You might be right. This way she has some extra time in the town shopping with you”, Freed said with spiteful smile making Bickslow sigh.

”I already forgot that...” taller man whined. ”She's a devil. She even asked Cana to join us since I'm going to have to carry everything!”

”How nice of her”, Freed just hummed filling the omelet and flipped it closed. ”It's good that she is enjoying her time with Cana.”

”You're not any more her number one girlfriend”, Bickslow taunted playfully.

”We all must make sacrifices sometimes”, Freed just stated and slipped the omelet to the plate and started to make another. ”Her making new friends does not mean we are not friends any more.”

He had just made everything ready – Laxus and Bickslow demanded to have two omelets each – when Ever joined them too, like always just in time when everything was ready on the table not a moment before.

”So, how are things going with you and Laxus?” she asked and they were sitting in the kitchen with Freed while Laxus and Bickslow were eating at the living room watching lacrimavision.

”Good”, Freed nodded. ”Quite good.”

”Really?” Ever chuckled mischievously. ”Exactly _how_ good?” he asked slowly.

Freed looked at his friend and opened his mouth. He was not going to tell what they had done last night and he was ready to answer something how he could avoid the question. But then he saw that unabashed twinkle in her eyes like she was with just that asking him straightforward if they had sex.

Freed blushed deep and lowered his gaze. Damn, Ever knew exactly how to drag out the information she wanted from him!

”Oh my _GOD_!” Ever gasped loud and stood up chair clattering. ”Really?!”

Freed blushed more and nodded with a little smile and Ever just giggled and squealed loud squirming.

”That's really good news, Freed!” she congratulated hugging Freed tightly. ”I wanna hear _everything_! We need a bottle of good wine and snacks and maybe Cana would like to join too?” she babbled on and Freed sighed.

”Ever, It's not that big of a deal”, he said.

”Not big of a deal?! It's something you've been craving for since the day you understood that you love him and now that it finally happened you're like it doesn't matter?” Ever tsked. ”Was he that bad?” she whispered in Freed's ear.

”Ever!” the rune mage shouted. ”Of course not!”

”Reeeally?” brunette chuckled. ”So he was good. Show me your mark, sweetie, I wanna see it”, she said quickly grabbing Freed's collar.

”Ever, stop that”, greenette said trying to shoo her hands off.

”What are you two yelling here?”

Freed jolted and looked at the door where Laxus and Bickslow stood.

”I just heard something really juicy”, Ever snickered hands still on Freed's collar.

”You did?” Laxus asked lifting his eyebrow and Freed just kept his gaze on the floor. He wasn't sure if Laxus wanted to keep it as a secret what they did...

He gulped slightly when Laxus stood in front of him and then he was lifted up.

”Why don't you show them?” blond purred.

”I-I don't think that's really -” Freed stuttered but was turned around against Laxus. Then his collar was pulled down revealing yellow lightning mark. Freed sighed and buried his face on Laxus' neck feeling embarrassed even though he knew there was no reason for that.

”Nice! You guys finally did it!” Bickslow cheered with his dolls.

”Did you scar him?” Ever asked when she saw light lines that spread outside the actual mark.

”No”, Laxus said letting go of the collar.

”You better not. Does it hurt?” brunette asked from Freed who shook his head.

”It hurt at first but only for a moment”, he said and adjusted his collar.

”That's good to hear”, Ever smiled. She was so glad for both Freed and Laxus. She had been shipping those two for years!,

”Was Laxus gentle or rough with you?” Bickslow smirked.

”I'm NOT going to answer those questions!” Freed hissed and his face was even deeper red than his coat. ”So please stop! That is a really private information!”

”Gentle at first but rough in the end”, Laxus answered with a smug smile. ”Freed likes it rough.”

”Laxus!” Freed yelled and his ears were burning as Ever was chuckling and Bickslow laughing his ass off. ”You are not allowed to answer those questions either!”

”You should have said so then.”

 

After the breakfast they finally arrived at the Guild. Freed was still pissed off because all the questioning and that was just amusing the others. Freed was shy with these issues.

”Good morning everybody”, Mirajane smiled when she arrived at their usual table. ”Do you want to order something?”

”Coffee for all of us, it's on me”, Ever ordered with a bright smile.

”Hey, I only need to buy your new clothes! Not food or drinks!” Bicks complained. ”Right Freed?”

”You will pay her food and drinks”, Freed muttered irritated.

”Sheesh, and I thought after night with Laxus -” Bickslow started but then purple runes shut his mouth so he could only mumble. And same happened to the dolls before they started chirping something similar as their master.

”Maybe I should make those runes to stay at least for a week”, Freed snarled and they could almost see how his lightning bolt cow licks twitched slightly.

”He just enjoys teasing you”, Laxus notifyed. ”Just relax and don't pay attention and he will stop, you should know that.”

”I'm not in a mood to wait that happen, I would rather keep him silent for a while”, the swordsman said rubbing his temples.

”So... Four coffees?” Mirajane asked confused.

”Yes, and put it on Bicks' tab”, Ever smiled and the white haired mage went back to the bar. ”So what are you two planning to do today?” she asked looking at Laxus and Freed.

”Staying home”, the dragon slayer answered.

”When can we start going on missions again?” Ever asked. ”We have two weeks before we have that escort mission.”

”I'm not in a mood to go into any missions before this season is over”, Laxus muttered.

”It might continue still four or five days”, Freed said. ”Can we really wait that long? There haven't been that many good normal missions lately and we still need to pay our rent and bills. I don't say that we can't but still. I don't like it if our budget money for the important expenses runs low.”

”Don't sweat it, I'll help you guys if that happens”, Laxus promised. ”But right now I don't feel like I can concentrate enough for an S-class mission.”

”Then it is not a good idea to take one”, Freed said crossing his arms. ”We have to stick with normal missions.”

”Wait you're planning to go?” Laxus asked glaring at his mate.

”Not sure yet, I might”, Freed teased. ”If it is a really interesting mission.”

”Are you saying spending time with me in the mating season is boring?” Laxus smirked.

”I can honestly say there hasn't been a boring moment yet once since we came back from our last mission”, Freed chuckled.

Mirajane brought them their coffee and Freed finally relented enough to let the runes vanish so Bickslow could open his mouth again.

”You know, if Laxus don't wanna go to a mission but you guys don't just wanna stay at home all lovey dovey all the time then we should do some training”, the seith mage suggested.

”That's actually really good idea”, Ever nodded. ”Sometimes even Bicks can think up something practical.”

”Then what about tomorrow?” Freed proposed.

”Fine by me, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

”Me too”, Ever nodded and they all looked at Laxus. Blond shrugged.

”I guess that's okay”, he grumbled. ”If it won't take all day.”

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

”122. So have you guys come up with anything for the Autumn Festival? 123, we have only one month time to prepare and we have to use three days on that escort mission”, Ever counted and talked with Freed at the same time.

”127, not yet, we haven't even thought about it yet, 128”, Freed said. ”Apparently Master wants something really showy, 129.”

”Yes, 125, I was thinking using my newest technique I have been working on”, Ever chuckled mysteriously.

”New technique?” Freed asked curiously looking at his friend. ”What kind?”

”It's still a secret but I promise it will be glorious”, Ever giggled. ”You're all gonna drop your jaws.”

”Hey, don't get distracted”, Bickslow panted.

”I'm not! It's 129 now!” Ever said.

”134”, Freed said smugly arms crossed. ”Laxus will win at this rate.”

”Hell yeah”, Laxus grinned with sweat dropping from his chin.

”130. Seriously! You're too slow!” Ever scolded the seith mage.

”Freed must be lying!” Bicks groaned.

”Rules prevent us from lying in the counting and rules are absolute”, Freed stated without hesitation. ”As long as we are here, runes will count your progress and they shall not disappear before you or Laxus hit 200 with push ups. You yourself wanted to take this challenge so you can only blame yourself. 138.”

”134, Bicks! At this rate we're going to lose and then we have to pay next month's rent just ourselves!” Ever screamed slamming the blue haired mage's head with her fan.

”Faster! Faster!” 'babies' cheered.

”Your attempt to win is futile”, Freed chuckled. ”140.”

”I'm sure you're lying!” Bicks snarled. ”You can make those runes do whatever you want!”

”Maybe, but that wouldn't be exactly honourable.”

”Less talking and more moving, slacker”, Ever said.

”It's easy for you to say! You're just sitting there on my back doing nothing! You have any idea how much you weight, baby?”

”You calling me fat?!” Ever screamed and Freed covered his ears in pain, sitting on Laxus' back while the dragon slayer was doing his push ups.

”Well you ain't as light as a fairy though you pretend to be one!” Bicks taunted.

”You jerk!” Ever hissed hitting Bickslow's head and she got up. ”I'm not helping you, pay the rent by yourself.”

”Yes! Now we're talking!” Bicks cackled and his pace accelerated.

”We had a deal”, Freed reminded frowning. ”You guys wanted to have more challenge so me and Ever would serve as weights.”

”Yeah, but that came after you had already written the rules”, Bicks grinned. ”So this is not cheating!” he guffawed and his counting number for push ups increased on the rune wall.

”I ain't gonna lose!” Laxus growled and he sped up as well.

”Do you want me to get off?” Freed asked looking down.

”No! I will win with rules we set even if they are not written in the runes!” Laxus said with determination that made Freed smile. Yes, that was his Laxus!

Ever just pouted and sat on the rock looking around. This was their usual training ground, in the middle of the forest and near there were river and a beautiful big waterfall. She chuckled when despite being free from the extra weight Bickslow started to slow down after 170.

Finally runes flashed green for a moment and vanished. Freed chuckled when both men collapsed on the ground panting heavily and covered in sweat.

”So... Who... Won?” Laxus finally huffed as Freed stood up.

”Does it matter?” the rune mage asked.

”Yes!” Bickslow and Laxus both shouted.

”It was a draw”, Ever said before Freed opened his mouth. ”You're both equally idiots.”

”Why are you mad at me?” Laxus muttered.

”You guys smell like sled dogs after a long trip and a swim, go wash yourselves”, Ever just ordered pinching her nose and shooed with her fan.

”You do 200 push ups and try to smell like rose petals”, Bicks muttered.

”Well she isn't exactly wrong”, Freed chuckled. ”Animals of this forest won't come near only because they are afraid they might suffocate.”

With grumbling Laxus and Bickslow headed to the river.

”So why are you so feisty today, Ever?” Freed asked calmly when they were alone. ”Is it because Elfman? Did he do something?”

Of course, if Elfman would ever do something wrong to Evergreen then Freed, Laxus and Bickslow would definitely beat the living crap out of him. They were really protective if something happened to their teammates since there was a time when they felt they could only trust themselves and no one else even in Fairy Tail Guild. At their darkest moments... Freed wasn't even sure if they trusted each other completely what was utterly wrong. He trusted and followed Laxus no matter what but Ever and Bickslow? He was deeply ashamed of his behaviour and he would always carry that shame in his heart, reminding him what he did not want to be ever again. And he could tell Ever and Bickslow silently carried that same burden, no matter how cheerful and carefree they might sometimes seem to others.

”That meathead didn't even tell me that he was going on a mission”, Ever sighed folding her fan on her lap. She no longer bothered to pretend she didn't like Elfman when there was only their team around.

”He didn't?”

”When I went to the Guild I heard Mirajane and Lisanna talking about him. They sounded surprised, maybe he didn't tell them either.”

”That's strange”, Freed murmured hand on his chin. ”He usually is very strict to tell you where he is going and says that it is not manly to conceal things from girlfriend or something...”

”And when is he coming back?” Ever asked and was genuinely worried.

Freed smiled.

”Don't worry, Ever”, he said. ”He will come back soon. If he would have gone somewhere far I'm sure he would have said something to you. He is that kind of a man, he wouldn't want you to worry too much. He might be back at the evening already.”

”You think so?” Ever sniffed wiping a tear from her eye.

”Absolutely. And if he's not back in three days then we go find him, make sure he is alright and then we will kick his sorry ass”, Freed smiled happily making Ever giggle a little. ”So he learns not to make you worry like that, you're not in your cutest when you cry.”

”You're awful”, Ever laughed.

”But I made you laugh”, Freed chuckled.

”Yes you did, thank you sweetie”, Ever smiled kissing his cheek. ”You're the best little brother anyone could ever ask.”

”Big brother”, Freed pouted.

”We're same age, you could as well be my little brother”, Ever chuckled making Freed roll his eyes.

She stood up now smiling and determined again.

”We should start training too”, she said and Freed nodded.

”You want to start with the usual training?” he asked unsheathing his sword.

”Yes, but I'm going to make little changes to that.”

”What changes?” Freed asked when he walked little further from Ever. ”Should I use runes?”

”No. This is part of my show”, Ever smirked. ”I'm not going to show you everything but I need help with it somewhat.”

”Alright”, Freed smiled. He was really happy to see Ever trying to improve herself. Brunette was strong without a doubt, but she needed new moves and with her magic she could do so much more. ”If you need any help, feel free to ask and I will do what I can to help.”

”I will, I know how good you are when we are talking about using magic in the most creative ways”, Ever chuckled. ”But this I have to do myself, you know it.”

”I know and I'm glad you are this devoted to your decision in this. So what kind of changes are we talking about?”

”Don't attack”, Ever said and Freed got confused. What? ”This is really important training to me so just defend yourself, I'm not holding back.”

”If that is what you need”, Freed nodded and he straightened his posture and raised his rapier. ”Give me all you got!” he ordered as a captain.

Ever smiled and she lifted her hands up. Yellow glitter emerged in the air like always when she was about to hit with her Fairy Machine Gun. Freed got ready to swish away every single yellow bullet that would head towards him but in a second he realized something was different.

Dust increased and quickly it crystallized into tiny balls that floated around Ever. They were bright, almost dazzling and Freed had to squint his eyes so he could see. He looked at them carefully as they moved like lazy butterflies around.

”Fairy Swarm!” Ever shouted and Freed's eyes widened from tiny shock when suddenly those crystallized bombs were all around him, moving much faster. They buzzed around him like angry bees!

He had to move quickly and he hit first bombs with his rapier.

”What -?!” he shouted when instead of exploding, those tiny orbs stuck tightly on his sword like glue.

”You can't destroy them that easily”, Ever chuckled. ”You should watch your back”, she reminded and Freed already felt how three, maybe four orbs got stick in his back. ”Only I can order my fairies around”, brunette smirked and snapped her fingers.

Freed cried out loud when powerful explosion erupted in his back and it forced him to fall on his knees.

”Surprised?” Ever smiled.

”I must say”, Freed panted trying to force pain out of his mind. He didn't feel blood, he was still in one piece. ”I'm impressed, you have doubled your power in a short time”, he chuckled and stood up. ”And you can control them however you want?” he asked looking at the orbs that were once again calm and just fluttering around him.

”Of course. I'm feeling generous and I'll let you take off that beautiful coat of yours so it won't get torn apart”, Ever said. She knew very well how much Freed treasured that coat. ”So time out. But you will have to return where you are now after you've left your coat on the rock.”

Freed nodded and unbuttoned his coat. Tiny, now almost fluffy looking orbs skittered on the ground and fluttered in the air looking so damn innocent and cute. They made an opening for the rune mage so he could put his coat down on the rock. Then he returned and opening closed immediately, trapping him once again inside the big swarm of tiny orbs.

”I'm ready”, Freed assured.

In the moment the game was back on, Freed lifted his fingers and drew runes. Rune barriers hoisted up immediately to stop most of the orbs hitting him. If all of those would explode at one time... He would really be in trouble.

 


	24. Chapter 24

After Freed and Ever were done, Freed sat down panting and for the first time in a long time he really had a rough time fighting with Ever. Well of course if he _really_ wanted he could have used his most powerful defences but that would not have helped Ever to improve nor him to hone up his reflexes.

”Ever is doing great”, he suddenly heard Bickslow's voice and looked at him.

”Yes she is”, he smiled and took a sip from the water bottle.

In the training ground Laxus had offered to help Ever. Freed smiled when watching them go, Laxus using his lightning so Ever could focus how to make her fairy orbs move even faster and how many she could control at the same time.

Suddenly he could hear a sigh and Freed turned to the tall man.

”Bicks, is something wrong?” he asked worried

”Don't know”, Bicks muttered lifting his visor up still watching at the battleground. ”Maybe? Or...”

”What is it?” Freed asked. ”You should tell us if something is wrong.”

”Ehh... Maybe I'm just a little bit frustrated, watching how much others improve and so on”, the seith mage sneered. ”'Cause I feel like I don't know how to improve myself.”

Freed blinked his eyes. He had no idea Bickslow have been thinking something like that.

”What do you mean? You are quite powerful”, he smiled. ”You have improved your physical power greatly and you are even focusing better nowadays.”

”Better! A lot better!” Tiki dolls assured snuggling against their master.

”But I need something new like Ever has now her new attack”, Bicks groaned and dropped to lay on his back. ”But my head just refuses to come up with anything!” he grumbled and tossed his helmet in the air and his 'babies' catched it, starting to throw it around among themselves.

”Oh”, Freed said and now he understood what was the problem. ”Well you can surprise in many odd ways but you are not exactly someone with a creative mind in other ways...”

”Thanks baby”, Bicks snorted wryly.

”Well, it is true. You are much like Laxus in that way”, Freed chuckled. ”It's hard for you two to think outside the box sometimes. But you're not as dense as Laxus I have to admit that. You can be surprisingly creative if you really want but you lack of enthusiasm too often if it's something other than doing pranks or irritating people.”

”Are you trying to annoy me? You're doing a good job.”

”Annoying! Bad Freed!” dolls scolded and they bumped against the swordsman's shoulders.

”I'm trying to help you, you just need a little push. So you want something new?” Freed said and Bicks nodded. ”Let's think about it. You have plenty of powerful attacks and you can control souls. Many mages would be thrilled to have your powers.”

”Eh, I never actually like it when I have to control somebody's soul”, Bicks muttered. ”It can be such a pain in the ass. All those memories, feelings, secrets, desires, so on.”

”You have your 'babies'”, Freed reminded.

”Oh, that's totally different. They are my _babies_ ”, Bickslow grinned and dolls giggled and hoovered above him. ”They are my friends, like dragon slayers have their exceeds. They chose to stay with me so we can have fun!”

”Servants yet still dear friends and allies”, Freed smiled. ”You have told me that before. Why don't you focus on them now?”

”Huh?” Bicks asked confused sitting up.

”Focus on how you could improve them. How you could make them even more powerful and useful. Could you probably strengthen their souls so they can be more intelligent and independent?” Freed explained and looked at Bickslow who didn't say anything.

He smiled when he could almost hear how gears moved in his friend's head as the seith mage just stared somewhere far. Slowly that familiar maniacal grin widened in his face as he without a doupt came up with something.

”Baby, you really are the genius of this group!” Bicks yelled with hype and he hopped on his legs.

”So you got an idea?” Freed chuckled.

”Did I have an idea?! Baby! This is going to be _awesome_!” Bickslow howled with a big grin. ”Gonna see you guys later, I need to work with this alone so I'm ready when the Autumn Festival begins!”

”Bicks, are you sure that's a good idea? We have our next mission in two weeks.” Bickslow did tend to get a little bit carried away sometimes when left alone too long.

”No worries, it's nothing dangerous”, blue haired mage laughed and put his helmet back on. ”But I might be busy now so don't be surprised if we won't see each other that often. See ya!”

”Bye-bye!” 'babies' chirped and flew off with their master.

Freed huffed with amusement.

”Where did he suddenly go?” Laxus asked walking over to Freed with Ever who was clearly worn out.

”Oh, he had a new idea”, Freed explained. ”Something he wants to use in the festival. He said he is going to train by himself until our mission and after it.”

”So he wants it to be surprise”, Ever smiled. ”I understand him. It seems like almost everyone has come up with an idea of what to do in the festival”, she said and looked at Freed and Laxus. ”Almost...” she repeated.

”We will come up with something”, Freed promised.

”Don't think people wanna have a storm in the middle of their party”, Laxus grumbled.

”We will figure out something you could do. We still have some time.”

”Well, if Bickslow went home I will do the same and take a long bath”, Ever smiled. ”I think I've earned it. And I will as well spend my next two weeks training so don't get worried if I'm not around that much”, she chuckled and spread her wings and took off.

”That leaves then just you and me”, Freed smiled looking at Laxus. ”More training?”

”Not interested anymore”, the dragon slayer said.

”Then maybe forming some kind of a plan what we should perform in the festival?”

”Not interested in that either”, Laxus just yawned. ”Let's just relax.”

”Laxus, we can't just slack at home”, Freed scolded. ”We have to either train or think about the Autumn Festival, it's your call”, he decided folding his arms.

Laxus stared at him for a moment.

”Okay, let's do some training”, he finally said and Freed raised his eyebrow.

He quickly realized what was about to happen when Laxus reached his hands to grab him, but he was much quicker slipping farther from blond's reach.

”Laxus, no! We really need to focus!” he said. ”We have responsibilities!”

”Those can wait for a while”, Laxus grinned and he was actually aroused when his cute little mate tried to escape him like that. He would catch him and pin him down possessively, claim him until he understood not to try order him around.

He took another step and reached out again to catch Freed but the swordsman hopped two steps farther.

”Laxus, I really mean it”, Freed said. ”We don't have time forever to figure out what we should do in the festival and don't forget we have to train for it too.”

”Damn, I hate it when you are that dutiful. But when I'll catch you I know you will quickly change your mind.”

”Who says I even have enough energy for that?” greenette said and he stepped away once more when Laxus tried to approach.

”You sure don't seem like worn out skipping around like that”, bigger man growled amused. ”Seems like you have still lots of energy to have fun”, he grinned with predatory gleam in his orange eyes.

”I will trap you in my runes”, Freed warned.

”Like hell you will”, Laxus laughed. ”I bet you're just as much excited about this little game as I am.”

Freed blushed and muttered something.

”See? You really want me to hunt you down and ravish you since you're such a horny little bitch”, Laxus chuckled amused.

”Could you _not_ talk like that!” Freed shouted and his face was burning bright red.

”Why shouldn't I? It just turns you on more”, Laxus purred slowly approaching his rune mage who backed away at the same speed. ”So you wanna play this game? Fine by me.”

Laxus jumped in an attack but his fingers only grasped air where some of the purple runes still lingered. Damn he forgot that fucking teleportation skill.

”Don't you dare think that I'm an easy target”, Freed chuckled reappearing on the tiny cliff farther away from Laxus.

”You cocky little shit”, Laxus grinned. ”Run while you still can, soon you won't be able to walk.”

”You must catch me first”, Freed smiled and he actually was getting excited. This really was kinda fun.

”Don't worry, I will”, Laxus smirked and Freed shut his eyes when there was a flash.

Quickly he drew runes and used teleportation. He had no time to write where he wanted to go so he just returned to where he was before. Freed opened his eyes and saw Laxus now on the cliff as he was standing lower ground near his coat.

”Okay”, Laxus said emitting sparks from his skin. ”But you still need to see where you are going, so I just have to force you to shut your eyes”, he said and dazzling flash filled the whole area.

Freed covered his eyes with his hand and was about to write runes. But where? He needed to know exact spot where he wanted to appear! If there was a tree or something on the way that was not a good thing.

He could feel it. Laxus was just in front of him. He felt it before those strong arms grabbed him in their tight grip.

”I caught you”, Laxus whispered smugly in greenette's ear making him shiver. ”I win.”

”Dark Écriture”, Freed muttered and Laxus felt finger on his chest writing runes. ”Laughter.”

For a moment blond was astonished. He didn't know Freed had this kind of a spell! And then his body started to tremble, small giggles escaped from his lips and a second later he was laughing hysterically.

Freed chuckled and stepped away watching how his mighty Thunder God bend over to lean on his knees and his rumbling laughter filled the whole forest.

”That was... That was low!” Laxus panted between his laughs just barely able to talk.

”Oh? And blinding me so I wouldn't be able to move was not?”

”I'm gonna... I'm seriously gonna... _So fucking kill you_!” Laxus guffawed with tears running on his cheeks.

”So intimidating”, Freed taunted playfully.

”Stohoop this!”

”Maybe I will wait for just long enough so you will piss your pants?”

”FREED!” Laxus roared and despite laughing he really sounded angry.

”Fine, fine”, Freed said and let the runes vanish.

Laxus collapsed on the ground on his knees and was panting heavily.

”Still feeling like having enough energy to have fun?” Freed smiled smugly.

”Do that ever again and I swear I will do things that will leave you trembling for the rest of your life”, the dragon slayer said still huffing and glared at his green haired mate who flinched. ”And yes”, Laxus grinned now and stood up. ”I wanna hump you more than ever before, need to remind you who is in charge.”

Silence landed as they stared at each other for a moment.

”More hunting?” Freed said.

”No magic”, Laxus demanded.

”Only to hide my scent or else you would find me too quickly.”

”Fine, but that's all.”

”Not farther than half a mile from here?”

”And no traps. Any kind of traps you damn trickster”, Laxus growled and Freed nodded.

”No traps, no magic except what was agreed, half a mile range and you give me two minutes.”

”Deal”, Laxus grinned and he closed his eyes as Freed quickly ran off.

 

 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

Four days went by fast when in mornings and noon they went to the Guild or trained for the Autumn Festival and evenings they spent at home just the two of them. Freed was happier than ever and he was hoping that this would continue forever.

But the mating season didn’t last forever. In his heart he felt agonising fear of what could happen after the season. Despite Laxus promising over and over again that nothing would change Freed was still scared since they couldn’t possibly be sure what was going to happen.

Then at that morning Freed woke up and he immediately noticed Laxus was not there even before opening his eyes. There was no snoring and no heat coming from the other side of the bed. The man who usually slept until noon had already got up and didn’t inform Freed where he was going.

The rune mage sighed and he felt how his stomach was tied in knots and deep sorrow was eating him up from the inside. All this really was too good to be true, huh? He had known it from the start. He couldn’t possibly have such a happiness for more than one week… He was after all Freed the Dark, demon who was meant to live his life in the shadows only once in a while able to experience true happiness, so when every time he was sent back he would fall deeper and deeper in the grief and darkness until he would never again get his hopes up.

But it had been an amazing week. He would treasure these memories, how wonderful it had been to be loved by Laxus in a way he had only dreamed for so long… He should be honoured and glad, he had one amazing week with Laxus before everything would vanish. Maybe Laxus even wanted him to resing from the Thunder Legion? He would do so if that would be what his Thunder God wanted if this all felt now too awkward for him. He would even leave the Fairy Tail if Laxus wanted that. This week was all worth that.

Freed sighed and he fought back so he wouldn’t cry, crying wouldn't help. He should just get up, get dressed up and leave. This was not his home after all.

When getting up he realized he was sweating and his head hurt. No wonder he was sweating since he had probably in his sleep gathered all three blankets over him and he huffed when he finally got a gasp of cool air. Wait what? Three blankets? They had only one big blanket in this bed usually so where did the two others come from?

Freed moved blankets aside and he got up, slightly swaying as his head felt dizzy. He needed some water he must have dehydration because of all the sweating. He quickly grabbed his clothes, cleaned himself and dressed up – with huge pain in his heart he had to leave the old orange hoodie on the chair – and just tied his hair up in a high ponytail. 

He was ready to go and let Laxus to go back to his normal life. He was obviously never actually meant to be part of it. But even if only just for a week, Freed was happy that it happened. He had something to remind him he had felt for a moment what true happiness could be.

The swordsman stepped in the hallway and looked around. Laxus probably was at the Guild, he should head there too so they could talk about the next mission.

 

At the Guild he smiled slightly when he saw Natsu and Gajeel acting normal again. It should be relief for Lucy and Levy since they were kinda annoyed because Natsu and Gajeel were always tagging along where ever they go and always fighting if someone glimpsed towards their mate.

The mating season was really over.

”Good morning, Freed”, Mira smiled as he approached the bar and sat down.

”Good morning, Mirajane”, Freed smiled slightly. ”It seems like everything is back to how it used to be.”

”Yes, They are acting normal again and Natsu has been challenging everyone, so keep your guards up”, she chuckled.

”No need to worry, I’m really not in a mood to fight with anyone”, Freed laughed.

”You certainly don’t seem like feeling well”, Mira noticed. ”You look feverish.”

”No, I just slept badly, nothing more”, the rune mage assured.

”Laxus might get worried.”

”Who knows? I have not yet seen him in this morning, I thought he might be here but I guess I was wrong. Could you please bring me a cup of tea in our usual table?”

”Sure”, Mira promised and Freed stood up and went to the stairs. Soon after that the white haired mage appeared on the second floor and put the cup on the table. ”Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked worried. ”You look so pale…”

”I’m honestly fine, Mirajane. But thank you for your concern”, Freed smiled and Mira left back to the bar giving him still one worried look on her way.

Freed lifted the cup on his lips and the tea really helped him to calm down a little. He just sat there and read the newspaper he managed to get. Nothing new – or at least nothing chaotic – was going on in Fiore. There was something written about the festival the Fairy Tail was about to arrange. Master Makarov was of course promising this would be the festival no-one could forget. Freed could only hope that would be because the festival was a big hit, not because they managed to destroy once again everything…

After he had drank the tea Freed pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was getting worse. Maybe he really should go home and try to rest a little bit. He could use his time trying to come up with something for the festival since he had not yet come up with anything. He had just helped Laxus to train his own show.

The swordsman got up and slowly walked down the stairs, he didn’t want to misstep now when he was feeling dizzy.

”I think I might follow your advise and go home”, he said to Mira who smiled.

”Thank god, you really look like you should rest properly”, she said. ”I’ll inform Laxus and others when I see them.”

”Thank you, that would be quite helpful”, Freed smiled, nodded and left the Guild. Bright sunlight made his head to ache even more so he would just walk straight home without stopping anywhere.

He hardly took two steps outside the Guild when he almost got startled to death because of angry: ”Freed!”

With confuse he lifted his gaze and saw Laxus who seemed to be really pissed off right now.

”L-Laxus… Good morning”, he stuttered because of the sudden appearance and he hadn't yet actually come up with what he would say to Laxus next time they would see each other! Now he just had to quickly figure something out. Always put Laxus' needs first, with that rule he should be able to handle this somehow.

”Don’t you act like everything is just normal, Freed”, Laxus snarled and Freed was lost.

”W-what do you mean?” he asked carefully. ”Are you mad at me?” Of course he was he could see it all over Laxus' face and hear it from his voice. Everything was really over? They were once again only team members, if Laxus of course still would let him stay…

”Mad? I’m fucking furious!” Laxus shouted frowning.

”I know I deserve that”, Freed said with submissive tone, lowering his gaze.

”Glad you understand that much”, blond snorted.

”I understand that this must be hard for you, now that everything is back to normal. I should do my best and make this easier to you. Maybe I should take a mission that would last couple of months, take some distance so you have time to –”

”The fuck you’re blabbering about?”

”T-the season. It’s over now.”

”Yeah? So?”

”Umm… I just… I mean…” Freed stammered trying to explain himself and ignore how his throat was aching like someone was tightening rope around his neck. He felt like someone was holding his heart in a tight grab and squeezing painfully.

”Is this again about that after the mating season thing?” Laxus asked. ”I swear to god I thought you were already over with it. But no, here you are, walking around despite you should be resting and your head is probably filled with worst possible scenarios and you look like you might cry at any second”, he growled and Freed’s eyes widened. ”You idiot have a fever, you should be in bed.”

”B-but…” greenette stuttered and he was now shocked. Laxus didn’t hate him? ”S-so where were you? I thought...”

”Of course you thought that I wanted you out of my house, I should have known”, blond grumbled. ”I was looking for Porlyusica so she would come and check how bad your condition was”, he said and grabbed Freed's hand pulling him along as they started their journey back to Laxus' house.

”I'm fine, Laxus”, Freed assured and he smiled slightly. Laxus was not going to drive him away! He still wanted him in his house!

”Like hell you are okay, you don't remember a thing about the morning, huh?”

”Remember?” Freed blinked and he had no idea what Laxus was talking about.

”You had a really bad fever, I almost didn't get you to eat the medicine! And you were so quiet, not saying a thing and you didn't react when I tried to ask you how you were feeling, for a moment I was really scared what was happening. Obviously you are feeling much better now thanks to the medicine but you're going to stay in the bed until Porlyusica says it's okay for you to get up.”

”Is she at your house now?”

”No, I couldn't find her, she wasn't at her cottage. I left her a note about the situation and told her to come over.”

”You know she doesn't like that”, Freed chuckled. ”She always says that she don't want to visit guild members at their home since she is not some doctor from the small village who can be called over anytime.”

”Now she just has to tolerate that”, Laxus muttered.

”And what was with all those blankets?”

”I didn't want that you would feel cold while I was away.”

”One blanket is enough, Laxus.”

They arrived at the house and Freed smiled looking around. He was back. Laxus wanted him to stay. Well sure, he had to go back to his home at some point but they could still be together as a couple.

”Get to bed”, Laxus ordered. ”You can continue daydreaming there.”

”If that is what you want”, Freed smiled and left his coat on the rack, boots at the entry and headed towards the bedroom.

At the door he looked at Laxus.

”But what about the food?” he asked. ”Are you going to make us the breakfast?” he asked and was now worried. Laxus could make food edible but it wasn't really tasty.

”I already told Bickslow to get us some pizza”, Laxus said. Yeah, he didn't like his cooking either. ”He shouldn't take long now. That thing is covered now so _go to bed_!” he roared and Freed winced and slipped to the bedroom.

There was no need to shout like that Freed thought to himself when he untied his ascot scarf. But... In some odd way he also liked it. Laxus was worried and taking care of him, but not yet too much so it would feel suffocating. He knew that he was sick so he understood that Laxus was worried.

The swordsman slumped on the bed. He was so happy he didn't even care any more if his head ached a little or he was feeling worn out because of the fever. He was back at Laxus' place, laying in his bed and even if the mating season was over they were still together.

 


	26. Chapter 26

Freed was about to drift to sleep but then the bedroom door slammed open loudly.

”What? What?” he quickly asked and sat up fast. Did someone attack the house? Where was his sword? Was Laxus okay? He was on a half way to get up when his sleepy thoughts finally noticed who was at the door.

”Hey baby!” Bickslow grinned and shut the door.

”Bicks... You scared me”, Freed groaned and slumped back to bed.

”Sorry, Freed. Laxus said you don't feel well so we decided to come and cheer you up.”

”Whee! Cheer up!” dolls said in unison and Freed felt sick when they started to twirl around above him.

”Could you please make them stop? I was just about to get some sleep”, he muttered and he didn't have enough strength to even get annoyed.

”I brought you some pizza”, Bicks sang and put the plate on the night stand. ”And it's your favourite.”

”I'm not hungry.”

”Come on, you'll get more strength after you eat. That cheese should get even the dead people to rise back on their feet so they can escape the smell. I know I will use that cheese as my weapon if we ever encounter zombies.”

”Yuck!” 'babies' gagged.

”Har har, like your garlic-filled pineapple anchovy pizza is any better. You could fool those zombies that you're one of them after that. I just want to sleep now.”

”Laxus will shove this pizza down your throat if you won't eat it voluntarily.”

Freed grumbled something and groaned when he finally sat up again, combing his fingers through slightly entangled green hair.

”You look awful”, Bicks said and put the plate on Freed's lap.

”Thank you for your supportive words”, Freed murmured and took a slice. ”They are most appreciated. Where's Laxus?”

”He's in the kitchen. I also brought you a new book, this arrived this day to our mailbox”, Bickslow said and put a package on the bed. ”Or at least I'm guessing it's a book.”

”It is”, Freed smiled. ”Something I've been looking for a long time already.”

”Yeah? What is it about?”

”Just this one old story, classic and really hard to find from anywhere but libraries”, Freed said and put the package aside.

”Ooh? Why aren't you telling me the name of the book?” Bicks smirked and his 'babies' sniggered knowingly. ”Is it maybeee... something really naughty?”

”Freed's naughty!” dolls giggled.

”Bicks”, Freed said with a warning tone. ”Don't even start.”

”So it is? It really is some naughty gay story. So does it tell about the pirates? Mages? Treasure hunters? Maybe theatre?” Bicks chuckled and almost got hit in the face by a pizza slice. But not because of Freed but Laxus.

”Stop being such an ass”, blond said stepping in the room. ”So what if it's some cheesy romantic gay story with sex scenes? You wanna read it?”

”No, no thanks, not my thing”, Bicks laughed. ”I was just curious. Freed being so damn innocent it's hard to even imagine him trying to read dirty magazines. How many those kind of books do you have, baby?”

”It's none of your business”, Freed muttered while eating his pizza but his ears were already bright red.

”I'm guessing many”, Bicks cackled.

”Really?” Laxus asked now surprised looking at Freed who tried to hide behind his hair. ”Damn, I really wanna borrow some of those books.”

”W-what?” Freed said.

”What? You're surprised that I'm interested about those stories?”

”Well... I'm just not that used to see you reading something...”

Laxus just huffed amused and he sat down on the bed.

”Just eat now, I bet Porlyusica will appear soon”, he said.

”Porlyusica? She's coming?” Bickslow asked and his dolls hid behind his back.

”Yeah, I wanna be sure Freed's fever isn't something dangerous”, Laxus nodded.

”Uh oh... Then maybe we should head home”, Bicks said and stood up quickly.

”Bicks, what have you done?” Freed asked suspiciously narrowing his eyes.

”Nothing, nothing. I just remembered some really important tasks and I still need to train more and so on”, Bickslow blabbered. ”So see you guys later!” he said and opened window, flying off with his dolls.

”He has done something to really piss off Porlyusica”, Laxus grinned. ”Not that it needs much of an effort to do so but still.”

”Bickslow seems to always be in some kind of a trouble”, Freed chuckled. ”Well, everything is fine as long as he won't drag us with him in it.”

They ate more pizza and Freed stretched.

”Now I don't feel that sleepy any more”, he said when Laxus came back from the kitchen where he put the rest of the pizza in the fridge.

”You're not getting up, read that dirty book of yours”, the dragon slayer said making Freed pout.

”It's not a dirty book”, he said. ”It is an old classic.”

”Are there any sex scenes?”

”Um... yeah, some...”

”Dirty book”, Laxus grinned.

”It's not all there is”, Freed said. ”There is also romance, adventures, troubles they have to confront and win and so on.”

”It's a really dirty book”, Laxus laughed making Freed blush harder. ”Since you're defending it that much.”

”Fine, maybe it is at some level”, Freed snarled. ”So what? It's my book, it's still not as bad as some porn magazines or movies.”

”I really wanna read that too”, Laxus smirked. ”We should read it together. Maybe I should read it for you?” he suggested leaving Freed stunned. Laxus reading this book for him? That... would be so hot.

”Mmm... Maybe that could work”, he grinned. ”If you really want it. I would like that very much, thought I'm not used to someone reading for me. But if it's you, I know I will like it.”

”Anything if it keeps you from climbing out of that bed, babe”, Laxus chuckled.

”Thank you my little honeybear”, Freed teased.

”Fuck you, read by yourself”, blond muttered immediately and stood up.

”Sorry, sorry, I will never say that again, I promise”, Freed assured quickly and fought back so he wouldn't laugh. Laxus _really_ hated any kind of nicknames.

 

They just talked for some time, when Laxus suddenly stood up.

”She's here”, he said.

”You're like a guard dog”, Freed chuckled. ”You better go open the door right away. We don't want her to be more angry for us than she probably already is.”

”Guess you're right”, Laxus muttered and he left to the hallway.

Freed just waited and lifted himself in more sitting position, leaning against the pillows. Door opened, there was the usual scolding from Porlyusica and Laxus grumbled something back.

”It's nice to see you again, Porlyusica”, Freed greeted when pink haired old lady stepped in the bedroom.

”Freed”, she said. ”So, what are symptoms? And quickly if possible I'm really not in a mood to stay and chitchat something nonsense.”

”Just fever and some headache”, Freed said.

”Just that? That happens because normally the dragon slayer's mark would fade after the mating season but yours won't and your body has to adjust to it.”

”What?” Freed asked blinking.

”Are you blind or something? I can see that mark from here.”

Freed quickly put his hand on his neck. He couldn't feel the mark but the skin was sensitive like before. He hadn't even thought about the mark! Mostly because he was so scared that it would disappear so he kinda pushed the whole thing out of his mind and in the morning he had so many other things in his mind he hadn't even looked himself in the mirror properly.

Freed quickly opened his shirt more so he could see the light lightning scars that scattered in his left arm. How on earth did he not see that before? Well, he saw it now and it filled him with joy. They really were soulmates with Laxus!

”I already went to see Levy because this same reason”, Porlyusica tsked. ”You useless humans make me run all around because of nothing.”

”For us it was not nothing”, Laxus growled. ”Freed's fever was really bad in the morning.”

”But it seems like he is okay now. He will be fine by tomorrow. And here I was almost excited to have new information for my research.”

”What did you think it was?” Freed asked confused. Porlyusica looked at him.

”Nothing you should worry. At least not yet, if never”, she just shrugged finally. ”Just rest this day. But if something new happens, tell me.”

”New?”

”Yes, are you forgetting how to use your ears as well as your eyes? I'll go see Lucy now since I'm here in town and I guess she's thinking these same questions if she is Natsu's soulmate like you're Laxus' and Levy is Gajeel's.”

”You're not going to check that he's really okay?” Laxus asked. ”It's not too much to ask, you old hag!”

Porlyusica looked at Laxus and she lifted up some kind of a recording lacrima and clicked it.

”Dragon slayers stay overprotective towards their soulmates after the mating season”, she stated. ”And they might get more power and so do their soulmates, but they definitely won't get more intelligent.”

”Hey!” Laxus shouted annoyed.

”And they stay hot-headed”, Porlyusica said and put the tiny gadget away. ”Everything will be fine, Laxus. Freed is strong and your dragon slayer magic will protect him. His body just needs to get used to it so it reacts like fighting against a virus. But it soon will realize your magic is not a bad thing but good.”

”Thank you, Porlyusica”, Freed said. ”We're thankful that you took your time and came all the way here.”

”Just don't try and call me again just because you feel a little dizzy.”

”We won't, Laxus just overreacted”, Freed promised and Laxus growled something angrily.

”Good. Then I'm off. Resting until tomorrow but then you can get up”, Porlyusica reminded and she left the house.

Freed looked at Laxus.

”Don't start”, he said before blond opened his mouth. ”Yes, she is... One of her kind, but that only shows how really kind it was from her when she actually came over to see if everything was okay.”

”She still irritates me”, Laxus grumbled.

”I know. But now we know everything is okay”, Freed smiled. ”We can relax this day. Tomorrow we go do more training. We must be at our best when our mission starts.”

”Okay”, Laxus hummed and he sat on the edge of the bed. ”You still hungry?”

”No, just bored”, Freed shrugged. ”Maybe you could stay with me here and read?” he suggested with tiny sweet smile tilting his head.

”Sure, babe”, Laxus grinned and he took the book from the night stand. ”Just don't wait me to act along with the roles.”

”Aww, now I'm disappointed”, Freed pouted. ”I was so thrilled to hear you do all those moans.”

”Shut up or I will call this off.”

”At least a little bit acting along?”

”I'm serious.”

”So am I.”

”You damn bitch”, Laxus muttered but couldn't stop himself from smiling. ”I'll see what I can do”, he gave in and Freed smiled happily.

 

 


	27. Chapter 27

”I see something green.”

”Bicks, no. We are not going to play that game.”

They were sitting on a top of a carriage that moved on along the road. It was a really big car with lots of luxurious furnitures, like a small house moving on wheels. Freed was really glad their client had his own drivers since obviously Laxus couldn't drive, Freed and Ever had never driven car this big and none of them would want Bickslow behind the wheel in this thing.

Their journey started early in the morning and they should arrive at their destination around 11 o'clock at night. It was a long time to stay awake and alert all the time but it was their job.

”How are you doing?” Freed asked and looked at Laxus who was behind him.

He used every spell he knew that could possibly help ease Laxus' motion sickness. But still the blond dragon slayer could do nothing more than lay down, eyes shut and try to focus just listening the music from his headphones. Problem was that the more Freed used his spells, less they worked every time. Soon he needed to come up with something else.

”Just... Don't force me to stand up and I will be fine...” Laxus slurred and his face started to go green in the second he opened his mouth.

”He's going to puke”, Freed said quickly and Bicks stood up. ”Go fetch something, a bucket or a towel.”

”Gotcha!” Bicks said and he opened the trapdoor on the roof and disappeared.

”Laxus, roll over, get near the edge”, Freed instructed and tried to move Laxus. But it was really hard, it was like the dragon slayer had sunk his nails in to the roof to prevent himself from being moved.

”Gonna throw up if I move”, he snarled annoyed.

”You can't puke here on the roof”, Freed said and panted when he finally managed to move Laxus even a little bit. ”If you have to, do it in the bucket or over the edge.”

”Urkh...”

”Laxus! Just try to endure it!” the swordsman said worried. He didn't want to end up sitting rest of the journey in the roof that was covered with Laxus' vomit! ”You can hold it!” he encouraged and patted blond hair softly.

”Hmm... That feels nice...” Laxus suddenly muttered and the tenseness in his body loosened a little.

”What? Me touching your hair?” Freed asked surprised.

”Yeah... It's really relaxing...”

”Does it help with your motion sickness?”

”Mmhmm...”

Freed smiled a little. Well if it helped that was really good. Suddenly Laxus lifted his arms and grabbed Freed's waist putting his head on his lap.

”Yeah, this is good”, the lightning mage murmured eyes shut. ”This is really good.”

”No more feeling nauseous?” Freed chuckled and he kept tangling his slender fingers through short blond hair.

”Just sleepy.”

”Then you should sleep. My runes will alert us if someone tries to attack.”

”Yeah...” Laxus yawned and like that he was already snoring.

The trapdoor opened and Bickslow hopped up with a bucket in his hands.

”It's okay, he's sleeping”, Freed whispered.

”Did you knock him out?” Bicks snickered looking at their boss who snuggled tightly against Freed in his sleep. His mate's scent and touch somehow helped his horrible motion sickness so there was no way he would let go even for a second while they were moving.

”Didn't have to, it seems like this helps him to relax”, Freed smiled and kept softly caressing Laxus' hair. ”How is Evergreen doing?”

”She says the old man is boring but not pervert so it's okay”, Bicks said. ”Maybe he wanted you in there with him instead her”, he grinned.

”Bicks, not everyone is as perverted as you are.”

”He's filthy rich, he has enough money to be as perverted as he wants.”

”I can only imagine how horrible you would be if you could have all that money...”

”Nah, it wouldn't then be funny anymore, not for me anyway”, Bicks said what surprised Freed. ”It's not challenging.”

”You wouldn't also get hit in the face by stuff”, Freed chuckled.

”It would get really boring really fast”, Bicks shrugged. ”Yeah, it would be cool to have enough money to buy whatever you want and you could bribe anyone no matter what you do. But only like a while, then it just gets boring.”

”I understand what you're saying”, Freed nodded scratching behind Laxus' ear making the mighty Thunder God purr in his sleep like an oversized house cat. ”Money loses it's value if you have it too much. When you don't have money that much and can only sometimes afford something special to yourself, it feels ten times better than if you could buy it anytime you want”, he smiled. ”And of course there are things that money can't give to you.”

”Aww, you sound so sappy”, Bicks snorted. ”But yeah, I know.”

”By the way, how is your training working out? All this morning have been so quiet but I'm guessing you didn't actually leave your dolls at home?”

”Nope, they are resting at my backpack”, Bicks grinned. ”Cana has been helping us a lot! But poor things are really worn out so I use them only if necessary.”

”Good idea”, Freed praised. ”Are you going to tell us what you've been training?”

”Sorry baby”, Bicks laughed. ”It's not yet ready to be used in battles or anything but we're starting to get a hang of it.”

 

Carriage kept driving all day and Bickslow and Freed had to eat at the roof, while Ever could eat with their client inside the luxurious carriage. Laxus wasn't going to eat even a crumble of food while they were moving. They finally stopped at the dinnertime, their only stop since they had to change drivers. Laxus was more than thankful since they had a change to have a one hour break and it was the only time he could actually eat something.

”You guys go and grab something to eat, I will stay and keep my runes on”, Freed said to others as he was standing in front of the door of the carriage. Their client refused to step outside even for a second. Bicks and Laxus were sure he was just a big ass snob who felt like he was better than the mere commoners here in this village.

”You should eat something too”, Laxus said. ”And you've been keeping your rune barriers up since early this morning.”

”I'm not using a complete shield, only one larger that alerts us if someone approaches with mean intentions and one that prevents anyone else but us or our client to open the doors or windows from this carriage.”

”That's still pretty much and we still have like seven hours to go”, Ever reminded.

”I know you guys will take care of fighting the enemy off if necessary”, Freed smiled. ”You can bring me something on your way, I can eat once we start moving again.”

”Maybe one of us should stay just in case”, Bickslow suggested. ”I vote for Ever.”

”Why me?” Ever shouted.

”You’ve had it easy the whole way. You just sit there inside while we have to sit on the roof.”

”Just go, I’ll be fine”, Freed assured before fight erupted. ”Just remember to be back in one hour.”

Finally Laxus, Bickslow and Evergreen all leaved to find food and Freed sighed, leaning his back against the carriage. Seven hours and this job would be over. They could sign in the hotel rooms that were promised for them, all expenses covered and also get some pocket money what to spent. Of course Freed already demanded that they would use most of the money for their budget. That way they had all bills covered at least for two months again.

Freed opened his eyes when he heard moving and he quickly snapped his spine straight and turned towards the window.

”Sir, is something wrong?” he asked when the window slid open. Their client was an old man, maybe some kind of a businessman. He was bald, small and had a long beard.

”No, nothing is wrong my good boy”, old man replied. ”Where did your teammates go?”

”They left to find something to eat now that we had to stop, but I will assure you nothing will happen, sir”, Freed promised. ”And they are not far away, they will arrive here in seconds if necessary.”

”It’s okay. My, you really are handsome aren’t you? Not like those two others, one with a big scar and the other one using a helmet.”

”Thank you for your compliments, sir, but I would prefer if you wouldn't say something like that about my friends”, Freed said and fought back so he wouldn't say how their client wasn't exactly a model himself.

”Are you thirsty?” the old man asked moving to the next topic just like that. ”Staying all the time on guard must be really harsh.”

”I have nothing to complain, sir. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to leave my stance. I can wait until my teammates return.”

”Oh, come on now young man. Does it matter do you stand there outside or sit here inside? You can notice if someone tries to sneak in, won’t you?” old man chuckled.

Freed felt a little bit uneasy, he was not sure how he should act in this kind of situation. Would it really be appropriate to go inside? He was just offering him a drink...

Finally, but a little hesitant he stepped in the carriage and looked around. It really was like a tiny little palace. Comfortable leather covered couches, big lacrimavision, beautiful hand carved mahogany table and even a bookshelf.

”What do you like my little car?” old man asked and walked on the fridge.

”It is spectacular, sir”, Freed praised. ”You have and admirable collection of Drigale Armarus’ books.”

”Ooh, you have good eyes”, old man chuckled and brought a glass of juice for Freed. ”So you read old classics?”

”Yes, sir”, Freed nodded and sipped from the glass.

”We have something in common then, please do sit down. Miss Evergreen was not that interested talking about these things”, man chuckled while sitting down and Freed sat on the other couch. ”So tell me who is your favourite writer, mister…?”

”Justine, sir.”

”Justine? Now that brings back memories, I remember when I was a young man and I went to the opera for the first time there was this beautiful prima donna, Ophelia Justine.”

”Um… yeah… I have heard of her, she was the jewel of her time.”

”Yes, she was magnificent. Many men tried to ask her out but all of them were turned down. Drigale Armarus is one of my favourite playwrights and she is my favourite actor for the lead role of most of his plays.”

”I have heard rumours that Mister Armarus actually wrote those plays just for her”, Freed said with a little smile.

”Yes, we all have. There are many kinds of rumours about those two and how they knew each other.”

It was kinda nice, Freed didn’t that often meet others with same interests in books as him so it was really refreshing to talk about all the writers, plays and so on with someone who actually was interested. Hmm... Maybe he could try to persuade Laxus to go see an opera play with him. Who knows, maybe he might even like it? He did listen lots of different music after all.

”I should return to my place outside the carriage”, Freed finally said. ”Thank you, it has been really nice talking with someone who also appreciates good classics.”

”It has been my pleasure, mister Justine”, old man chuckled. ”So you and your team are going to spend your time in the town the whole three days?”

”Yes, sir.”

”That is really good to hear. Maybe I could ask you to join me at the opera tomorrow evening?” old man asked and Freed raised his eyebrow. ”It's my treat of course. It would be a delight to share -”

”I'm sorry, but I have to say no”, Freed stated politely standing up. ”We have plans with our team and since everything is already agreed it would be rather rude from me to not follow the plan.”

”It is an opening night of the Dance With the Swords”, old man said with a tiny mischievous gleam in his eyes.

”I'm sorry, sir”, Freed apologized. ”I really can't.”

”You are a dutiful one, aren't you?” man chuckled. ”That is an admirable quality in a young handsome man like you”, he said and that tone made shivers run down Freed's spine. ”You know, I really do like your company, maybe you would like to switch places with Miss Evergreen for the rest of the journey?”

”No, sir. I'm perfectly comfortable up on the roof”, greenette assured. And Laxus needed him there.

”I see... I was hoping we could have spent more time together. I of course would make sure it's all worth your time.”

”I have my job and that I must complete, sir. I cannot slip from my duties.”

”I could even double your salary from this job.”

”Double?” Freed asked confused. ”From me sitting here talking about the opera and books?”

”Sure, sure. And I could offer you a better room in the hotel too. A luxurious suite even if you want. You know, I'm spending my time in that very same hotel, maybe we could speak more in there?”

”Like hell you will”, they heard low snarl from the door and Freed jolted looking at Laxus. ”The fuck are you doing?”

”Laxus, I just -” Freed started but Laxus just talked over:

”I didn't mean you, I was talking to that old fart”, blond growled.

”Laxus! Be polite for the client!”

”He's an old pervert”, Laxus snapped. ”I don't need to be polite for someone who's trying to seduce my mate. Get your ass over here, Justine. None of us will accompany that bastard in that carriage anymore”, blond growled looking at the old man who was suddenly tiny and scared, trembling on his couch.

Freed huffed and stepped out of the carriage to Evergreen and Bickslow who looked serious.

”B-but... I hired you to do this job”, old man stuttered quickly.

”Yeah, but then you started to harass one of our teammates, our friend and my boyfriend”, Laxus growled and he gave the old man an ice cold glare. ”We have no reason to accompany you to save your petty little ass if someone tries to rob you.”

”Are you sure, Laxus? If we leave this job that wouldn't leave a good image of the Fairy Tail”, Freed reminded and Laxus stared at him for a moment.

”Man you're too dutiful for your own good”, he finally grumbled. ”Triple our salary and we get three suites on the hotel where you are NOT going to stay”, the dragon slayer said looking at the old man.

”That's outrageous!” old man yelled.

”Then rotten here in this village, I don't give a fuck. Let's go”, Laxus said and turned around.

”Fine! Fine...” they heard when they were starting to walk away.

”And I will take that on a paper”, Laxus said. ”So you can't deny everything when we arrive at the town.”

When everything was done they climbed back on the roof, all four of them this time.

”What an ass”, Ever hissed irritated. ”Actually trying something that low.”

”No one from Fairy Tail would never sell themselves like that”, Bicks said and Freed was still a little bit confused.

”He wanted to talk about books and opera”, he said. ”Not that I was going to accept his offer.”

”You dense dumbass”, Laxus growled his head again on Freed's lap. ”He was trying to seduce you to be his handsome little toy boy he could parade around.”

”W-w-what?” Freed stammered and he blushed deeply. ”No he wasn't!”

”Oh, _honey_ ”, Bicks chuckled. ”He totally wanted to be your sugar daddy.”

”S-sugar...”

”You're so naive and innocent in these things, sweetie”, Ever sighed hugging Freed. ”How on earth are you still alive?”

”You're seriously gonna get yourself raped at this rate”, Laxus snarled looking at Freed who didn't know what to say. ”You should at least learn when someone is trying to woo you so you can turn them down at once.”

”I can't help it, it's not like it happens that often”, greenette finally said voice still shaking.

”Man, we have saved your ass more often than you even understand”, Bicks cackled. ”All those women and men who have been drooling after you or trying to flirt with you but you just don't get it.”

”It can't be helped, he can only see Laxus”, Ever chuckled. ”He knew Rufus was after him only because he was aware it was a date.”

”Don't remind me about that douchebag”, Laxus muttered.

”But seriously, Freed. Someday it might be someone who will not take a polite no as an answer once you have followed them too far”, Evergreen said.

”I can defend myself”, Freed muttered. ”And I have no intentions to follow anyone who I don't know, I'm not a child.”

”We know baby, but who knows what could happen”, Bicks grinned.

”Just don't trust too much”, Laxus said shutting his eyes. ”And if you feel uneasy even a little bit, just leave.”

”I can't do that just like that.”

”Yes you can if you don't feel safe.”

Freed sighed dropping his head in shame. Was he really acting that foolishly? Making his own teammates and friends to take care of him like some little kid? He should be the captain here, dammit!

”Don't feel so bad”, Ever smiled. ”You're our dear little brother and Laxus' mate, we just wanna take care of you. You would take care of us if the tables were turn.”

”Of course I'm really grateful for all of you”, Freed assured with a little smile. ”I was just hoping that I wasn't such a burden.”

”You're not”, Bickslow smiled. ”No one in the Thunder Legion is a burden. We all have our own flaws, but we stick together so we can help each other to make sure nothing bad happens.”

”For once Bickslow is absolutely right”, Ever laughed.

Freed smiled and they kept talking, while Laxus drifted off to sleep. Rest of the journey they did not hear a peep from the carriage and that was good.

 

 


	28. Chapter 28

Freed stretched his tired muscles as they were outside the hotel where their client was staying. Laxus and Ever were still inside taking care of the payment and he and Bicks were waiting near the entrance.

”What is taking them so long?” Bickslow groaned lounging on a bench. ”I'm tired, I wanna go to sleeeep...”

”Stop whining, that won't help anything”, Freed said. He had dark circles under his eyes but he refused to sit down. He was going to stay sharp until they would arrive at their hotel.

”Maybe that old bastard won't pay?” Bicks suggested. ”What are we going to do then? I didn't take any money since we were supposed to get paid when the job is over.”

”I'm sure Laxus and Ever will take care of things so we will get our payment.”

”Yeah, maybe Ever will turn all of them into stone statues and then Laxus will shatter the whole place...”

”They know they can't do anything like that here.”

They waited another fifteen minutes until finally doors opened. Laxus and Evergreen looked furious.

”What happened?” Freed asked confused.

”That old fucker tricked us”, Laxus growled. ”He used magic paper for the contract. He could change what was stated in the contract and it said he was only obliged to pay a fracture of what was agreed in the first place.”

”What?!” Bickslow howled and stood up. ”We have no money?!”

”And neither a place where to sleep”, Ever hissed. ”Money we got is not even enough for us all to buy train tickets back to Magnolia!”

”You gotta be kidding! Where are we gonna sleep? How do we get back home? What do we eat?” Bicks whined. ”We have no tent, no blankets or any of our camping equipments! It would take days to walk back to Magnolia!”

”We can't stay here, that old fart said that if we won't be gone in fifteen minutes the staff will throw us out or call the town guards so we end up in jail.”

”Wow, he got really pissed off 'cause he couldn't have Freed”, Bicks snorted and took his backpack.

”He is obviously one of those rich men who are used to have what he wants”, Freed sneered and took his own bag. ”And he will punish those who dare to object him.”

”Whatever, I'd rather sleep a month in a forest without any equipments than let him get near you”, Laxus said and touched Freed's cheek, making him smile.

”We will figure something out”, greenette promised.

”Yeah, we have been in tough situations before”, Bickslow grinned.

”But I was really looking forward to have a change to live three days in a hotel suite”, Evergreen sighed as they started walking in the dark streets.

Freed looked at his friends faces and he could see the disappointment. Even Laxus had obviously been excited about the idea of them spending three days together at the suite.

Freed frowned his eyebrows and tried to decide what to do.

”How far can we get with that money we have?” he asked finally.

”Huh? Perhaps two towns away from here if we all go”, Laxus answered.

”That is far enough”, Freed said. ”Come, we need to hurry to our night train”, he said and with confusion in their faces his friends ran after him towards the train station.

Freed took the jewels and purchased the tickets.

”We made it”, he sighed as they found an empty cabin.

”I hate this...” Laxus grumbled holding his head and he slumped to sit near the window so he could have at least a little bit of fresh air.

”I'm sorry”, Freed said and he patted his mate's shoulder.

”But where are we going?” Ever asked and they all looked at Freed.

”I know a place where we can stay. For free”, he explained. ”I don't know if it's as good as a hotel suite but at least we can sleep in beds and have something to eat. But it's two hour train trip away so we have to endure that much.”

”That's our captain!” Bicks grinned. ”You always manage to come up with something.”

”We're glad you're here taking care of us”, Ever smiled.

”Come on, I know you would have figured something out by yourselves too”, Freed smiled. But of course it was nice to sometimes hear that his team appreciated his efforts.

They took their places and Freed ruffled Laxus' hair. The dragon slayer was laying on the bench his head on Freed's lap.

”What is this place where we are going?” Ever asked with curiosity.

”Umm... An old house, there is plenty of space and we can have our own rooms”, Freed said. He was not sure how he should explain everything... But maybe it was now time for that. Laxus would eventually find out everything now since they were dating.

”Is it somekind of a mansion?” Bicks asked.

”Uh, yeah...”

”Cool, that's way more awesome than some shitty hotel”, the seith mage grinned. ”Is the owner a friend of yours?”

”A-actually... I'm the owner.”

For a minute there was a dead silence in their cabin.

”No way. _No way_! You own a mansion?!” Bicks shouted finally.

”Well it was my grandmother's mansion. I inherited it when she died when I was twelve.”

”You inherited? Why not your parents?” Ever asked.

”Because they died when I was three. I lived with my grandmother by winters and by summers I lived with my mother's father in the country.”

”Don't tell me he has a mansion too”, Laxus grumbled.

”He does. But he is still alive so he lives there.”

”Man... All these years we have been friends and you never considered about telling this to us?” Bicks asked. ”I mean, sure, you don't have to if you don't want to but you don't need to be that secretive.”

”I never meant to be”, Freed assured quickly. ”I just never... Knew how to tell you about this”, he sighed. ”It always changes things. Maybe you would start to think I'm just some spoiled rich boy.”

”We know you're not some shitty spoiled brat”, Laxus murmured. ”You are strong, wise and humble.”

”Thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled blushing slightly. ”That helps. I was scared what you guys might say.”

”So you're rich?” Bicks grinned and Freed nodded. ”Wow, could you have bought that entire hotel?”

”I'm not that rich”, Freed chuckled. He should have known he had nothing to worry about. Laxus, Bickslow and Evergreen would always be by his side and they would think of him as Freed, not just some rich boy. He should have had trusted his team members more.

Greenette smiled.

”I'm really lucky that I have you three”, he said. ”And Fairy Tail.”

”But why did you leave?” Ever asked. ”I mean... you grew up in a mansion! And you have money! Why did you join Fairy Tail?”

”I wanted to be a mage”, Freed smiled. ”As simple as that. And I wanted adventures. When you're rich, you can't have that much adventures. Or at least it is not adventures for me. You can always buy whatever you want and go where ever you want. There are no struggles to survive and you don't need to think where you're going to sleep, since you can just go to the hotel.”

”I guess I understand what you're saying”, Ever shrugged. ”So you don't use your money at all?”

”No. When I left so I could join Fairy Tail, I left all my money behind. I decided to survive with my skills and earn my money.”

”You've done great, babe”, Laxus smiled. ”Now I understand you better. In a mansion there must have been many kinds of rules and stuff so that's why you always behave so aristocratic. So is your grandfather some kind of a lord?”

”Yes, he is an earl.”

”Wow... So you're rich _and_ a nobleman? No wonder you know how to dance waltz and stuff”, Bickslow snickered. ”Do you inherit that noble rank when your grandfather dies?”

”I guess”, Freed shrugged. ”He doesn't like me so he might also have some distant cousin or something who he will mark as his heir.”

”He doesn't like you?” Laxus frowned.

”Yes... I haven't seen him since I left. When my grandmother died, of course I had to live with my grandfather full-time. He is... um... Rather scary old man. And that mansion is just as scary, I hated it when I was a kid.”

”Where he lives? I don't remember any Earl Justine living nearby”, Ever noted.

”Justine is my father's last name. My grandfather is Earl Lucados Zaldevil.”

That made others jolt.

”I'm guessing you have heard that name”, Freed sneered.

”Yeah, now I understand why you said he is scary”, Bickslow shivered. ”We don't know much about him but enough. And you lived with him every summer?”

”That is why I like winter so much”, Freed said smiling slightly sad. ”Because I lived with my grandmother then.”

”Who was your grandmother then?” Ever asked.

”Ophelia Justine. When she was young she was the primadonna of her time. She performed in many plays in opera and theatre.”

”Isn't she the one who was married with that playwright whose books you always read?”

”Yes. Drigale Armarus is only a pen-name, his real name was Felix Justine. They never revealed Drigale Armarus' real identity.”

”Man, your life sounds like it's from some crazy play itself”, Bicks chuckled. ”Are you sure it's okay that we accompany you to your mansion?”

”Of course it is”, Freed said without hesitation. ”You three are always welcome there. Even if you are nearby just by yourselves feel free to use that mansion as you please”, he smiled. ”I will make sure the staff remembers you all.”

Train chugged ahead and they stopped at the next town quickly before continuing their journey. Finally they stopped and Freed yawned. He had almost fallen asleep. Others were already in deep sleep.

”Hey, we have to go”, Freed said and shook his teammates. ”Get up.”

”I hate trains...” Laxus muttered but he stood up. They took their bags and stepped out of the train.

”It's already two in the morning, but there should be someone near the station with a carriage so we can have a ride”, Freed said.

”Can't we just walk?” Laxus groaned.

”It would take too much time and we all really need some rest”, Freed said. ”So let's just find a carriage.”

They had to search for a little while but finally they found someone who could give them a ride.

 

 


	29. Chapter 29

Finally they arrived at the mansion after fifteen minutes ride trough the town and then two minute ride after the gate. Carriage stopped in front of huge stairs and they stood up.

”Gatekeeper will take care of the payment and they have been instructed to give a good tip”, Freed said to the driver.

”Thank you, sir”, woman behind the wheel smiled and she drove around the fountain, heading back to the gates.

Doors opened and a chubby butler stepped out in his morning gown and he was followed by couple of servants who immediately grabbed their bags.

”Master, it is good to see you”, the butler smiled.

”It's good to see you too, Dubois”, Freed said. ”I'm sorry that we didn't announce beforehand that we were coming.”

”Sir, I'm sure you had a good reason for that. We are here to always welcome you back when you want to visit us.”

”It is good to hear that”, Freed smiled. ”These are my team members and fellow guildmates from Fairy Tail. Bickslow, Evergreen and of course our leader Laxus Dreyar.”

”It is an honour to meet you all”, Dubois smiled and he bowed politely. ”Master have told us everything about you.”

”This is Aaron Dubois, he is the butler in this mansion”, Freed introduced. ”He will help you if there is any problems. Dubois, we need rooms. We might stay two or three days.”

”That is wonderful, sir”, Dubois said and his eyes seemed to sparkle. It seemed like Freed didn't visit that often. ”Go get the maids and hurry to get the rooms ready, I will take care of this”, Dubois said to one of the servants and took Freed's bag he was carrying.

They stepped inside the mansion and looked around. Laxus was really impressed. Dammit, there was marble floors, huge carpets, massive staircase to the second floor and paintings all over. There were even fancy columns and statues, even couple of full-body armours!

”Do you guys want something to eat?” Freed asked and he chuckled when he saw his friends stunned faces. Well, his grandmother was the primadonna of her time so it was only natural that her mansion was also flashy and beautiful.

”Uh... No, let's just go straight to bed”, Laxus said.

”Yeah, we can eat in the morning”, Bicks grinned.

”Warn our cook, they eat plenty of food”, Freed chuckled to Dubois. ”Oh and Laxus sleeps with me.”

”Really? That is great news, sir”, the butler congratulated making Freed blush. ”We are happy to hear you have found someone and are no longer alone. We hope you might visit more often now?”

”I can't promise anything...” Freed murmured.

Servants carried their bags and they were guided to their now ready rooms. Evergreen and Bickslow had rooms next to each other on the second floor but Freed headed back to the stairs after that.

”Aren't we gonna sleep here?” Laxus asked confused when they started to climb again.

”No, our room is in the third floor”, Freed smiled. ”I hope you like it. It is the master bedroom and there are plenty of space. We also have a beautiful view over the garden to the lake nearby.”

It was more like a tiny house inside the third floor that is what Laxus thought when they arrived. Dubois opened large doors for them to the master bedroom.

”We will go straight to bed, Dubois”, Freed smiled. ”This has been a really long day so just let everyone sleep as long as they want.”

”I understand, sir”, Dubois smiled.

”We will announce when we want our breakfast. Oh and Bickslow is allergic to peanuts, not badly but it would still be better if the cook won't use them at all.”

”I will make sure he knows that. Good night then Master, mister Dreyar”, Dubois smiled and he closed the doors.

”Wow... This is amazing”, Laxus said looking around. ”The bed is almost bigger than my own bedroom.”

”No it's not”, Freed laughed and put his coat on the hanger so servants would make sure it was clean. ”I don't know about you but I'm really exhausted”, greenette sighed.

”Yeah, I'm ready to sleep on the floor”, Laxus admitted and sat on the edge of the bed. Wow, the mattress felt like a cloud! But still it was firm enough so his back wouldn't hurt.

”Thankfully we don't have to”, Freed smiled and he put rest of his clothes neatly on the chair and was only wearing his boxers. ”That wouldn't suit you.”

”And it would destroy my back”, Laxus laughed. ”So do you visit here sometimes?”

”Yes, twice a year so I know what happens here and make sure servants are having their pay checks and so on. But I usually only stay one or two days.”

”So when you last time told us you wanted to take a solo mission suddenly, you came here?”

”I did that solo mission too and since it was in this town I could also take care of the businesses here”, Freed smiled and he slipped under the covers. ”You know, it's not really polite to just leave your clothes on the floor like that”, he chuckled when Laxus dropped his clothes.

”Eh, too tired to start folding them and shit”, blond just stated and he lifted the blanket. ”Oh god this bed is like from dreams.”

”I'm glad you like it”, Freed smiled.

”Wait, something is missing”, Laxus muttered and then he pulled Freed against him. ”There, now this is perfect”, he snickered.

”Sometimes you can be such a big softie”, the swordsman giggled.

”Shut up and sleep. You look like you might faint at any second.”

Freed smiled and kissed his dragon slayer. They both fell asleep almost instantly.

 

In his dream, Freed was running through the dark halls filled with big paintings of his ancestors. There were big marble statues of demons all over the mansion. Sometimes he could see the outside of the windows. It was so green and beautiful out there, but he couldn’t open the windows nor did he find doors.

He felt like he was suffocating. There weren't even servants around. No one would let him out.

Finally he arrived in the big living room where there was dark couches with red velvet covers. On the floor there were beautiful yet somehow intimidating big carpet with lots of details. Fire was crackling and dancing inside the fireplace and it was the only light in the room. Fireplace was huge and there were carvings in it, what else but demons.

Demons were part of this family, part of Freed. It didn’t matter did he want it, it was something that was decided for him. Demons lend their power to the members of this family if they saw they were promising. Freed’s grandfather had his own demon powers and he had his own. His mother did not fulfil demons’ expectations and she was not granted with this ’gift’. Freed didn’t want it either but he couldn’t change his fate.

Demons would always be part of the Zaldevil family.

Freed looked around and suddenly the doors shut tightly and he was trapped here in this huge dark room. This room where he always sit with his grandfather who would scold him because something he did or how he behaved. Zaldevils were never weak, that was rule number one. Zaldevils never cried, rule number two. Zaldevils would rather die by their own hand than surrender, rule number three. Zaldevils were only loyal to their family, no one else, rule number four.

There were dozens of rules like this and Freed remembered them all. He hated those rules. They didn’t help anyone. Rules should always help people and keep them safe, not to hurt them.

”Freed”, soft familiar voice said and it made shivers run down his spine again. It might have been years since he had seen his grandfather last time but he would never forget his voice. There were no figures in the room but still he could almost see how long, once shiny dark green but now greyish hair waved in the air near his grandfathers' favourite chair.

”I want to get out”, Freed said.

”No, you can’t. You will stay here, this is your place. It is your destiny to inherit this place and keep our family safe.”

”I don’t want to inherit this place, I don’t want anything from here.”

”But you will. Half of your heart is demon’s. It is part of you and you can’t change that. Come here, sit with me. It has been too long since we have had a good long chat…”

”No, I wont stay”, the swordsman said stubbornly shaking his head. ”I have a new home. I have a new family who I will stay loyal to!”

”That is just a pitiful act, you are trying to run away from your destiny and responsibilities. There is only you and me and Zaldevils will always stick together and be loyal only for their family.”

”I'm not Zaldevil! I'm Justine!”

”You are Zaldevil. Your heart knows that. There are demons inside you and they have acknowledged you as the next lord of this family. Your mother was not strong enough for that. And then she run off with that useless, good for nothing man from family of singers and writers...”

”Justines were wealthy and good people! They cared about other people and they would never hurt anyone.”

”They were just mere commoners, nothing more. I tried my best to have you carry the name Zaldevil but your mother was strongly against it.”

”And I'm glad about that”, Freed sneered. This was so confusing! This place was like his grandfather's mansion but it still wasn't. Something was off but he just didn't figure out what it was.

”And who is that man you're dating? I always had a hunch that you would swing that way...”

”His name is Laxus Dreyar and his family is greatly respected.”

”Dreyar... Yes, I know that name. I have heard about Makarov Dreyar, he is the Master of the Fairy Tail, that Guild where you ran off. And that Laxus is his grandson.”

”Laxus is more than just a grandson of Master Makarov”, Freed snarled.

”Whatever. But he is strong, that I have heard. I wonder... Maybe he would be what we really need in this family, strong new blood. How I would love to have a great-grandson with the power of a dragons slayer and demons.”

”Are you insane?!” Freed yelled to the empty room. ”We're both males! That is _not_ going to happen!”

”There are always some way. You don't even know how much different magic this world helds in and what odd ways you can use it to grand you what you want.”

”I need to get out!” Freed said and he started to feel panic rising inside him. This was madness!

”Freed. You can’t go out.”

”I will! I will find a way!”

”Freed.”

”Just shut up!” Freed yelled holding his head and it felt like the whole room started to twirl around and around and around. He was feeling sick! He was ready to throw up in any second.

”Freed?”

Greenette opened his eyes and gasped inhaling large amounts of air like he had been holding his breath for a really long time.

”Freed?” Laxus said concerned looking at his mate who was huffing and sweating. He looked scared and he just wanted to hug him and soothe him. ”Was it a nightmare?”

”Huh?” Freed said blinking and he finally started to understand the situation.

It was a dream. He was not in his grandfather's mansion and talking with him. He was in his own mansion, talking with Laxus. Laxus was there right next to him, sleeping with him in the same bed.

”Y-yes…” he finally answered with a shaky voice. Ugh, he was still feeling a little bit nauseous...

”What was it?” Laxus asked snuggling close to freed and he buried his nose in those beautiful green hair. ”It’s okay now, love. Dreams can’t hurt you.”

”I know”, Freed mumbled and his heart wasn’t pounding any more so hard and painfully. ”It was just something nonsense”, he said shaking his head. Just a dream. It did feel unnaturally realistic but it was still just a dream. Right?

”Really? Why would something like that freak you out so much?” Laxus asked. Freed didn’t like to lie to anyone but he was really good at avoiding the questions. ”Was there someone?” blond asked and he slowly caressed his mate’s side so he would feel more safe and talk to him.

”Yes”, Freed muttered. Laxus knew how to ask question so he couldn’t avoid it just like that.

”Who was it?”

”My grandfather.”

”Did he say something to you?”

”Yes. But it was nothing serious. It was just a dream, it’s not like we actually had a conversation”, Freed said and turned around to face Laxus. ”It’s nothing”, he assured smiling slightly. ”I was just really tired because of yesterday and when I suddenly had to remember all those old memories it kinda invaded my dreams.”

Laxus sighed silently. Well, at least Freed was now calm again.

”Maybe you should sleep some more”, the lightning dragon slayer said.

”What time is it now?” Freed asked and turned to see the clock on the night stand. ”Already eleven?” he almost shouted and sat up.

”Well it was really late when we finally arrived”, Laxus said. ”You should still rest.”

”No, I’m okay now”, Freed smiled and he kissed his boyfriend. ”Almost forgot, good morning.”

”Good morning, idiot”, Laxus chuckled. Freed always demanded to have his morning kiss no matter what and why would he be against it?

”I’ll go take a shower”, Freed said and stood up.

”I’ll join you”, Laxus nodded and he as well got up from the bed. ”That bed is honestly something I really would like to take with us to Magnolia. I have never slept this good.”

”You don’t like your bed?” Freed asked as they walked to the bathroom. Or more like his own little spa.

”Eh, it’s okay but now it’s gonna feel tiny”, Laxus grinned.

”Maybe I should buy us a new bed?” Freed offered with laugh and he tossed his boxers in the laundry basket.

”Hmm… Not sure if that would feel right.”

”Why not?”

”It would feel like I would take a benefit of your money and it sickens me”, Laxus stated and stepped on the shower with Freed. ”I would never do something like that to you”, blond said kissing Freed’s neck and greenette gasped lightly when soft tongue caressed the mark on his skin. ”I’m gonna buy us a new bed with my own money.”

”Wouldn’t that then be me who is using you?”

”That’s okay, ’cause I want to give you everything I can.”

”Laxus, maybe I want to give you everything I can?” Freed chuckled and fondled Laxus' arm muscles.

”I only need you and I'm happy”, Laxus assured and his hands started to drift all around Freed's chest, hips and finally they stopped near his groin not yet touching him. It was a delicate way to quietly ask if Freed was in the mood.

Greenette sighed. He was not in the mood right now for that. That dream was still haunting him and it made him feel sick when he even thought about it.

”Just hold me”, he asked silently and right away hands pulled back. Instead those strong arms wrapped around him protectively.

”Better?” Laxus asked.

”Yes, much better”, Freed smiled. ”This feels really nice.”

”That's good to hear, love.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 30 is here! Heh, maybe I should start thinking about ending this story finally? Hmm... Nope. I'm having too much fun! Thank you for all those lovely comments and kudos! ^^ I really hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter because I certainly enjoyed writing it!

After the shower they got dressed up and arrived at the dining room.

”Damn, why can't we eat like normal people?” Laxus muttered and he poked one of the too many forks next to his plate.

”Just use whatever fork or spoon you like”, Freed chuckled as he ate his own breakfast/lunch. ”Everything is okay as long as you don't eat with your hands. Dubois, have you yet seen Evergreen or Bickslow? Are they still sleeping?” he asked from the butler who was standing near their table.

”I believe miss Evergreen is still sleeping, but mister Bickslow is outside at the pool, sir”, Dubois answered politely. Of course he was making sure their master’s and his friend’s breakfast weren’t interrupted by anything.

”Mister Bickslow, man that sounds stupid”, Laxus laughed.

”Maybe we should join him after our meal?” Freed suggested. It was a really warm day even if it was late summer already and this was their vacation so why shouldn’t they spend it at the swimming pool?

”Yeah, let’s do that. Is the pool big?” Laxus asked shoving food in his mouth.

”Big enough for us. Wow, you are actually using a salad fork to eat your bacon?”

”Shut up you spoiled rich boy. You said I can use whatever I want and this was the closest one.”

”Just teasing you”, Freed chuckled.

They ate and went to change their clothes. Laxus changed to his swimming trunks and of course Freed had his speedos.

”You really have to use those?” Laxus snarled his arms crossed.

”What? You don’t like them?” Freed asked and looked at the mirror.

”I like them but I don’t like that there are others who also like to see you wearing those”, Laxus grumbled.

“There are just us and servants.”

“Who says they won’t still stare at you?”

“That’s just ridiculous”, Freed scolded and tied his hair up into a ponytail.

“Would you change into normal swimming trunks if I asked really politely?” Laxus offered.

“Like you would do that. These are comfortable and I like them so you just have to bear with it.”

”I’m gonna punch everyone whose eyes start to linger on your body, just so you know.”

”Oh? If I had to do that to everyone who stares at you with adore, I would have no time for everything else”, Freed smirked and Laxus laughed.

They arrived outside to the big yard and Laxus looked at the pool. It was definitely more than just enough for them. There were also a beautiful patio with the big fancy stone grill and next to it there was a fridge. Of course there were also tables and chairs so anyone who wanted could eat outside.

”Seriously, I don’t believe any hotel suite would have been better than this place”, Laxus said as Freed fetched a bottle of lemonade from the fridge.

”I’m glad you like this place”, the swordsman smiled and opened the bottle. Laxus suddenly snatched it from his hands. ”You should get your own, there are enough for everyone.”

”I just need a sip”, Laxus said, gulbed down half of the lemonade and gave the bottle back to Freed. ”Refreshing”, he said with a loud burb.

”You really have no manners at all”, Freed huffed.

”It’s not because of my manners that you love me”, Laxus smirked slyly making Freed laugh.

”You might be right there”, he admitted.

”CANNONBALL!” they heard a loud yell and then water splashed on them.

”Bicks! Don’t jump from the balcony!” Freed scolded when the blue haired mage popped his head up to the surface. ”That is dangerous!”

”Danger just makes it more fun”, Bicks cackled and this time he wasn’t wearing his helmet like he usually did.

”Seriously, you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep that up. Laxus!” Freed shouted when he realised the lightning mage had climbed up on the balcony.

”Relax, nothing will happen”, blond snorted and jumped on the water causing another splash to drench Freed.

”Water! Water!” Tiki dolls yipped and flew around the pool.

“Fine, do whatever you want”, greenette gave up. “But at least I warned you guys.”

“Freed’s uptight”, ‘babies’ giggled as Freed sat on one of the chairs near the pool. He wasn’t that fond about the swimming, he usually just sat on the chair sunbathing.

“Go drown yourselves”, he hissed annoyed glaring at the dolls.

“Freed’s mean!” they cried and flew to Bickslow.

“Just leave him alone”, Laxus said. “He’s annoyed because it kinda is but still isn’t a rule to not jump down the balcony to the pool”, he smirked making Freed frown. “It pisses him off like hell when there are situations like that.”

“Yeah”, Bickslow laughed.

“I could make it a rule, this is my house after all”, the rune mage snarled dangerously.

“That would just ruin our fun”, Laxus grinned. “You wouldn’t want to do that.”

”Come on, Freed! Let’s play!” Bicks incided and tossed a ball for Laxus.

”I’m fine just here”, Freed said leaning back and put his lemonade on the table next to him. ”You guys have fun in the pool.”

He shut his eyes and heard more splashing, then pair of feet sloshing against the marble. He already knew where this was going even before Laxus grabbed his arms and Bicks did the same for his ankles. They swing him back and forth three times before they let go and the rune mage flew across the air, splashing on the water finally.

”Oh god! Oh god! So cold!” he jittered with hands around him when he got to the surface.

”No it’s not you wuss”, Bicks laughed. ”Hey! Dubious!”

”Dubois”, Laxus corrected.

”Yes, sir?” the chubby butler asked.

”Do you guys have any toys?”

”Everything that can be used in the pool are at the pool house, sir.”

”Okay, thanks!” Bicks said and he skipped to the small house near pool.

Laxus took the ball and hopped back to the water.

”Feeling better?” he asked from his boyfriend.

”Little by little”, Freed nodded. ”I wonder when Ever is going to wake up.”

”She comes when she hears us having fun without her”, Laxus chuckled and tossed the ball for Freed.

Soon Bickslow returned and jumped to the water. ”I found these!” he cackled and his tiki dolls dropped inflatable toys to Freed and Laxus. ”Let’s fill them and have a race!”

Some times later Evergreen appeared to the pool.

”Those toys suite you guys”, she giggled when watching three men who were splashing around the pool with their inflatable swimming toys. Freed had a turtle, Bickslow had a shark and Laxus had a yellow duck. ”So cute.”

”Shut up, Ever”, Laxus muttered. ”Since you’re here finally, we can play something else with full teams.”

”I pick Freed!” Bickslow grinned.

”No way! It’s us girls versus stupid giants”, Evergreen said.

”Ever, I might look feminine but I’m still a man and don’t like it when someone calls me a girl”, Freed scowled.

”So you don’t want to be in my team?” Ever asked and Freed sighed watching how her lip started to tremble. ”Do you hate playing with me?”

”Ugh, fine! I guess I can be a girl just for a moment…” Freed gave up and put his turtle toy aside.

 

They got up from the pool and dried themselves. This time Freed put pants on so he wouldn’t get cold with his tiny speedos.

”One ball”, Ever said and he lifted the volleyball on her hands. ”We have to circle the house with it and we can only hold it ten seconds top at a time and then it must be tossed to your team member or somewhere else.”

”No traps!” Laxus and Bickslow shouted in unison looking at Freed.

”Last time I collided on to your wall I cracked my tooth and it hurt like hell!” Bickslow said.

”Fine, so no magic? Are wings and Bicks’ dolls allowed?” the rune mage suggested.

”It does make things more interesting”, Ever chuckled rolling the ball on her fingertip. ”Laxus can use his lightning to move around but make sure not to roast us with it. So, only ten seconds, magic only allowed to move around, circle the house but what then?”

”We have to make the ball go trough that loop”, Laxus said and he pointed at the big statue nearby. Even Freed wasn’t sure what the statue was supposed to express but now it served as a perfect goal for them. ”But how do we make sure you hold the ball only for ten seconds?”

”I can make one huge trap around the mansion”, Freed suggested. ”So if you hold that ball more than ten seconds, you will freeze on your spot for twenty seconds”, he said and drew some runes in the air. It was a big trap but really simple so it didn’t took much time or magic. “Can we use anything else but magic for fighting?” the swordsman asked.

“Look who’s not frightened anymore that someone might get hurt”, Bickslow snickered.

“Have we ever played a game without someone getting hurt because we are all so competitive?” Freed asked rising his eyebrows.

“Good point there, baby. So can we?”

“No”, Laxus said. “At least not directly. But you can use what you find to make it harder for others to move.”

”What is the punishment for the losing team this time?” Bickslow asked.

”Freed?” Evergreen said and greenette mused for a moment.

”For the rest of the day they have to dress up how the winning team wants”, he finally grinned. Oh, he had a perfect dress in mind for Laxus.

”Are you sure”, Laxus smirked deviously. ”’Cause if that is the punishment, I will make sure we will win with Bickslow.”

”Yeah!” the seith mage yelled and ‘babies’ cheered.

”No no, you can’t possibly win since that trophy belongs to us”, Evergreen giggled.

”Rules are set!” Freed said. ”Let’s start this game!”

Fighting over the ball was brutal from the very start. Freed and Ever had an upper hand since they had their wings and they were quite quick with their movements, but Laxus and Bickslow had more power to steal the ball from them.

”Hop!” Freed smiled snatching the ball once again when Bickslow tried to toss it to Laxus. ”Ever!”

”Got it!” brunette assured but was shoved aside by Laxus who grabbed the ball.

”I’m gonna enjoy seeing you dressed up as a maid”, blond laughed to Freed while giving the ball to Bickslow.

”Don’t be so sure about your victory, it most certainly won’t happen!” Freed said and he was going to grab on Bickslow, when one of his dolls bonked on his face.

It was ruthles, violent and most of all so much fun when they circled the house to the front door. Dubois was talking with the errand boy at the porch when they both had to duck since the master of the house flew over them in the house with Evergreen. Bickslow and Laxus followed them almost instantly.

”Freed! You fucking little trickster! Traps were not allowed!” Laxus roared as he wiped some blood from his nose.

”It was not a trap, it is not my fault if you can’t dodge a tree branch”, Freed chuckled with Ever.

”Laxus! I’ll stop Ever you grab the ball!” Bicks said and he sent three of his dolls ahead.

Tiki dolls grabbed one of the big curtains and Ever screamed when she got tangled in it, ripping the whole curtain rail down. Freed tossed the ball on the floor making it bounce back so now he could hold on to it another ten seconds.

”Gonna catch you!” Laxus snickered following Freed on the stairs as they flew to the second floor and scared some of the servants on their way.

”I don’t think so!” Freed grinned and he spun around and dove, slipping past Laxus from under him. He was fast and swift with his movements making it harder for the lightning dragon slayer to follow up.

But he was not that good with ball games and when he tried to bounce the ball again he didn’t catch it this time.

”Getting too cocky”, Laxus grinned grabbing the ball easily.

”AH!”

Laxus stopped immediately and turned around. Did something happen? Did he accidentally hurt Freed with his lightning?

Freed just stood there with his cheeks burning red. Laxus felt immediate arousal when the rune mage gently touched his lips and chest, slowly moving towards his pants.

”Laxus…” he moaned softly making Laxus jolt. ”I… I feel so h-hot…” Freed whined and squirmed slightly.

”Oh fuck Freed”, blond dragon slayer gulped. Freed was so damn hot! His pants started to tighten up already.

”You want that? Fuck Freed?” Freed asked with a submissive tone looking at Laxus shyly.

For a second Laxus was about to just give up this damn pointless game and grab his mate, but then the air around him flashed red.

” _Shit_!” he roared when his arms and legs couldn’t move at all. Freed just smirked and grabbed the ball from his hands.

”Sorry, babe”, he said smugly and kissed Laxus’ cheek. ”But this is war and I’m not going to lose”, he chuckled, patted Laxus’ ass and flew off.

”I’m gonna repay this you damn bitch!” Laxus growled.

”I’m looking forward to it!” Freed laughed and then the hallway was filled with loud noises when he crashed against the line of armours. Damn Bickslow had already caught up with them and while he wasn’t paying attention, used his dolls to shove him against the armours.

”Well well, what do we have here?” Bickslow chuckled and took the ball that was rolling on the floor. ”All alone, waiting for someone to pick it up.”

”Bicks, start moving!” Laxus commanded.

”Right sir!”

Freed shook his head and stood up gritting his teeth. He was NOT going to lose! Quickly he flew after Bickslow whose maniacal cackling echoed in the hallways. Once again Dubois had to duck when two mages hurtled above him. He smiled brightly. It seemed like master was having so much fun! He spun around when Evergreen flew past him and his hair stood up when Laxus used his lightning to get out through the front door.

Bickslow tried to shake Freed off by circling around the bushes in the garden but Freed knew this mansion better than anyone. He was not that easy to shake off. He was going to win this game no matter what! Freed made a turn to the right, dove under the big bushes and appeared right in front of Bickslow surprising him.

”Thank you”, the rune mage smiled when he managed to knock Bickslow on the ground and took the ball. He wasted no time heading towards the goal he could already see. Only this short distance!

”Freed! Ten seconds!” Ever warned when she appeared beside him.

”Oh! Right!” Freed hissed and tossed the ball for the brunette.

She got instantly hit by Laxus who then took the ball, orange eyes locked on the loop. One lightning bolt and he would make it!

”Don’t you fucking dare!” Freed snarled and grabbed his boyfriend from behind causing them both to crash on the ground, since Laxus couldn’t use his lightning now or it would hurt Freed badly. ”Ever!”

”I got it!” Ever shouted and took the ball while Freed and Laxus started to wrestle on the ground fiercely.

”Toss it!” Freed yelled. Ever was so close!

Brunette grinned and she aimed carefully before tossing the ball off.

“Yes!” Ever and Freed shouted excited because their victory as the ball went straight towards the loop, but then it stopped suddenly. ”W-what?!” they asked shocked.

One of the Tiki dolls giggled peeking behind the ball, as it had stopped the ball just right in front of the loop.

”My baby!” Bickslow grinned and he got to the loop, took the ball and with one swift swing the ball was in. ” _YAH-HOO_!” the seith mage howled victoriously standing on top of the statue, ‘babies’ dancing around him.

The air flashed green and game was over. Freed panted and dropped on his knees. No way! They lost!

 


	31. Chapter 31

They had their bruises taken care of and then they went to the big living room. Freed and Ever were sitting on the couch waiting for their punishment as Laxus and Bickslow were talking about it. Or more like arguing because of it.

”No way! They should dress up like maids!” Laxus said.

”No! It wouldn't be enough of a punishment! You just want to see Freed dressed up as a maid! Do that in your own time in your bedroom!”

“Naughty Laxus!” the ‘babies’ snickered.

”They might spend the rest of the evening just arguing about that”, Ever muttered as they were drinking tea with Freed.

”It wouldn't be surprising if that actually happened”, Greenette nodded. “It’s not like it would be the first time they argue about something the whole evening.”

”Maybe they should dress up as cheerleaders?” Laxus suggested and the Tiki dolls started somekind of a dance together behind him.

”Or something funny, like clowns”, Bicks snickered. ”What do you say, Dubois?” he asked the butler. ”Tell us what we should do.”

”Well, if you want my opinion sir”, the butler said with discreet. ”There is no need to dress them both in similiar clothes? Why don't both of you choose which one you want to dress up?” he said and Freed sighed.

”Dubois, how could you?” he groaned.

”I'm terribly sorry sir, but I had no choice. They practically forced me to answer”, Dubois answered with a tiny little smile.

”Yes, I saw how much you suffered and screamed because they were torturing you...”

”All the agony happened inside me, sir. It was brutal. I really did my best to hold back”, Dubois chuckled and left to check out if the kitchen staff had started to prepare ingredients for the dinner. They were planning to use that big grill near the pool.

”That is not a bad idea”, Bicks said and Laxus nodded. ”I will pick Freed”, the seith mage said.

”What? Why?” Laxus snarled.

”Because you would just do something dull. No offence but dressing him up as a maid is just boring. Everyone can easily imagine him like that and he just probably pulls it off better than most of the girls.”

”Not sure if I should feel relieved or offended”, Freed muttered annoyed.

”But where do we get the outfits?” Laxus pondered.

”I know I'm going to regret this, but...” the rune mage sighed and stood up.

They walked to the hallway and took couple of turns and climbed up different stairs than before.

”Where are we now?” Ever asked curiously.

”This is the north side of the mansion, here my grandparents and parents kept all the theater props they had. They hosted many special events here and the crowd was allowed to dress up as well and sing along and so on.”

Freed opened the large, beautifully ornamented doors that let out a little creak.

”Another hall?” Bicks snorted looking around when Freed turned on the lights.

”This is the lobby”, Freed explained. ”People can have drinks and snacks here and talk with each other on breaks.”

”Wow, your family knew how to make things fancy in parties”, Laxus murmured.

”It's not like they were behaving like some royals”, Freed chuckled. ”Mostly people who came here were commoners from the town. It was really fun actually, nobody knew beforehand how the evening would end. Sometimes there were crime stories and one of the crowd was ‘murdered’ and the rest had to figure out who the murderer was before there would be more victims. Dubois has been the murderer at least five times I have heard.”

“Butler did it! We knew it!” the ‘babies’ chirped.

”Did you take part in those plays?” Laxus asked as they arrived at the another pair of doors, but not the main doors at the end of the lobby that obviously lead to the theater hall itself.

”Sometimes”, Freed shrugged. ”I prefer watching the theater to being part of it.”

”Did you sing?” Bicks grinned.

”Um... Yeah, when I was younger...”

”I bet your voice now would sound wonderful on the stage”, Ever smiled.

”I wonder what kind of a cute angelvoice you had before it got like that”, Laxus chuckled trying to imagine Freed on the stage but his usual low and aristocratic tone was replaced with high-pitched squeaking. ”Actually, I don't believe I have ever heard you singing”, blond noticed suddenly.

”Me neither”, Bicks said and Ever nodded.

”We're here”, Freed said and pretended that he didn't hear what the others said, when they stepped in another large hall.

It was filled with costumes. Seriously, there were so many racks full of clothes they could hardly walk around. They were all neatly arranged by theme and category.

”Oh wow...” Evergreen gasped eyes widened.

”If you really like something, feel free to use it how you like”, Freed smiled when he saw her face. ”Just don't take every dress you can see”, he laughed.

”Oh my god! Thank you sweetie!” Ever chirped, hugging the rune mage almost crushingly and then she started to go through the dresses.

”Hey, don't forget why we came here in the first place”, Bicks reminded grinning. ”Let's go, baby. Let's find something really good for you to wear”, he grinned grabbing Freed's hand and dragged him along.

”I just hope he won't try something ridiculous...” Laxus growled.

”You really are disappointed aren't you?” Ever chuckled. ”Because you know Freed would never agree to dress up as a maid or something similiar unless he had lost a bet or something.”

”Damn Bickslow ruined everything”, the blond dragon slayer frowned, annoyed.

”If we would have won with Freed, I know he would definitely had made you and Bicks dress up like slutty nurses or maids or sexy bunnies or something similiar. And I wouldn't have stopped him.”

”I see. I think I know exactly what costume I want you to wear.”

”What? Don't tell me you want to watch me walking around in that kind of costumes?”

”What?! No! Geez, that's sick!” Laxus sneered and shivered. ”You're like my sister!”

”Damn right. And you have Freed, he has the only ass you are allowed to drool over. Don't you dare hurt my little brother by even thinking about peeping other people that way”, Ever said protectively hands on her hips.

”He's a big boy Ever, he doesn't need big sister to take care of him.”

”It's not up to him”, Ever purred with a sweet tone. ”It's totally up to me. If I want to protect him or pamper him then no one can stop me.”

”You don't do that to Bickslow.”

”He's older than me and Freed. He's the dummy big brother who we have to babysit so he won't accidentally swallow a butterfly and die choking.”

”Oh, come on. I know you care about him more than you show”, the dragon slayer laughed and started to look for the clothes he needed.

”He's a dumbass”, Ever tsked.

”Maybe but he's still our brother. Last time when we met up with Bacchus and he challenged Bickslow to drink with him, you almost made him piss his pants because Bicks was so wasted he had a hangover for three days.”

”I was already mad because of other things and he just happened to be a perfect target to release some steam.”

”You turned him into a stone statue and we barely managed to stop you with Freed when you were about to kick him down the stairs.”

”I wanted to drop him from the roof but he was too heavy for me to carry him there first.”

”You're such a stereotypical overprotective big sister even if you are younger than me and Bickslow”, Laxus grinned.

”Whatever”, Ever huffed crossing her arms.

She looked at Laxus now a little bit curious.

”So what about Freed?” she asked.

”What about him?” Laxus asked and he looked at the dozens of wigs on the shelf.

”Was it... um... Odd when suddenly he turned from brother to be your boyfriend?”

”I thought about that too. I'm not sure I have ever seen him as my brother.”

”Really?”

”Yeah... I guess at some level I have always liked him? We're soulmates after all, some part of me must have known he's my mate from the beginning even though it took me long enough to actually realize it”, Laxus muttered with a tiny hint of blush on his cheeks.

Ever smiled and hugged him tightly making the blond man freeze.

”I'm so, so, _really_ glad for both of you blockheads”, she smiled. “I’ve been hoping you two to get together ever since Bickslow told me Freed had a chrush on you. You two just make perfect sense.”

”This is why I don't like talking about feelings and shit”, Laxus snarled.

”You big dummy”, Ever teased giggling and tightened her grip.

”Get the fuck off and go changing”, Laxus growled dropping the clothes on Evergreen’s head, mostly to cover his rosy red cheeks. Ugh, he really didn't like hugging or sappy talks if it wasn't with Freed.

Ever just chuckled and took the clothes.

”What is this costume?” she asked looking at the red long haired wig.

”Oh, you'll know it once you put them on”, Laxus just smirked.

”Do I know this character?”

”Yes, yes you do.”

”Do I like this character?” Ever asked suspiciously narrowing her eyes.

”Would it be funny for us if you liked?” Laxus grinned.


	32. Chapter 32

After the changing Laxus and Evergreen waited at the lobby for Bickslow and Freed. Finally the doors opened and they stepped on the lobby. Laxus almost dropped his jaw on the floor when he saw his ashamed mate.

”What…” blond muttered.

”Nice work, eh?” Bickslow cackled looking at Freed who said nothing.

He was wearing tight pants with the other side black and the other white, and his shirt was black and white striped. He was also wearing leather boots with high heels and a black cone shaped hat with large brim. His green hair was now chin length and he also had black eyeliner and black lipstick.

”I look ridiculous…” the swordsman grumbled adjusting his white gloves better.

”You look fine, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

“Freed’s a harlequin!” his dolls giggled.

Freed jolted when without a warning the dragon slayer grabbed Bickslow’s throat scaring the living shit out of the seith mage.

”Did you cut his hair?” Laxus growled dangerously his orange eyes sparkling with pure anger. ”Because I swear to God if you did I will cut your –”

”No! Laxus, calm down!” Bickslow wheezed quickly. ”We just assembled it under his hat!”

”Really?”

”Yes”, Freed assured. ”Like I would give him a permission to cut my hair”, Freed huffed crossing his arms. ”There are limits what I’m ready to do even if I lost.”

Laxus grumbled something and let go of his friend who sighed relieved.

”So where’s Ever?” Bicks asked looking around but didn’t see their fairy anywhere.

”She just went to the bathroom for a second”, Laxus said.

They waited for five minutes.

”Ever!” Laxus finally shouted and pounded the bathroom door with his fist. ”Come out!”

”No!” they heard her answer.

”Come on, it can’t be that bad”, Bicks smirked. ”It was Laxus who came up with your costume so it can’t be that humiliating.”

”Who knows”, Laxus just hummed.

”You seem confident”, Freed chuckled.

”Oh yes, I know she hates that costume like hell.”

Finally, after five other minutes the door finally creaked open.

”Holy…” Freed gasped eyes widened.

”Shit!” Bicks added as well stunned. ”Man! Erza, baby, when did you arrive here in our humble mansion?!” he burst into laughter and Freed had to turn around so he wouldn’t do the same.

Ever was wearing a shirt that reminded them of Erza’s breastplate. She also had a red wig with long hair, blue skirt, long black boots and gauntlets. It wasn’t a perfect costume but close enough so they could immediately recognize who she was supposed to resemble.

”Laxus, I hate you so much right now”, Ever muttered with deadly tone in her voice.

”I can live with that”, Laxus shrugged.

”Come Laxus we need to pick something too”, Bickslow grinned.

”Why would I do that?” Laxus grumbled. 

”Because it’s fun. They have to wear something they don’t want to but we can choose what we want.”

”I don’t want to wear anything else than what I’m already wearing.”

”Don’t be such a negative nancy”, Bicks grinned. ”Just pick up something and lets go grill some steaks.”

 

Finally they returned back to the pool. Head chef had arranged all the food for them and they were waiting for the instructions should they start cooking.

”Are they gonna cook for us?” Laxus asked. He finally gave in just enough that he was wearing a jogging pants and a hoodie without sleeves, saying he was dressed up as a man who wanted to feel comfortable for the rest of the evening. ”We’re not gonna do it ourselves?”

”We can if we want”, Freed smiled.

”I rather let them cook than Laxus”, Ever chuckled. ”Let's just enjoy getting pampered and relax.”

”As you wish, miss Scarlet”, Bicks snickered and barely dodged when Ever tried to hit him with her gauntlet.

”Shut up, Bicks”, brunette snapped. ”And what on earth are you wearing?”

”I'm a jester”, the seith mage grinned and twirled around. He was wearing colourful suit, ridiculous hat with bells and only lord knows what he had in his pockets.

”We are glad you are finally admitting to yourself who you really are”, Freed snickered.

”Oh baby, I would laugh if your lame joke wouldn't make me wanna cry”, Bickslow sighed. ”Now you have saddened the jester.”

”No! Don't cry!” his dolls gasped and rushed to snuggle against their master. They were also wearing tiny hats with bells.

”Jesters are supposed to bring laughter by their performances, not sorrow by their tears. You have failed us”, Freed grinned.

”Useless jesters are not suitable in our glorious mansion”, Laxus suddenly said with an arrogant snobbish tone. ”Off with his head!”

”Off with his head!” Ever and Freed cheered.

”Please, no! Not my head!” Bickslow whined and crawled in front of Laxus.

”Prove your usefulness to your king!” Freed demanded. ”Make him smile with your dancing!”

”Dance! Dance!” 'babies' chanted twirling around Bickslow.

”Oh, that would be my pleasure”, blue haired man cackled and hopped back on his feet.

Freed was always surprised how good their goofy friend was at dancing. He had a perfect sense of rhythm and it was not an issue for him to improvise. There were not many men as big as Bickslow who could move that freely and be that flexible.

After the dance they clapped their hands, one of the dolls even whistled and Bickslow was allowed to keep his head yet another day.

”So what can we drink?” Laxus asked sitting on one of the big comfortable chairs near the pool, as their chef started to make them dinner. “We need some booze. And not some shitty snobbish piss but real stuff.”

”Whatever you want”, Freed assured.

”Whatever?”

”Well... I'm pretty sure we have enough drinks here in the mansion that even you guys can't drink all of that in one night”, greenette chuckled.

”Sounds like a challenge to me”, Bickslow smirked.

”Yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard that too”, Laxus grinned.

”Just promise not to get too wasted, okay?” Freed huffed, though it was the same as him talking to the empty chairs since Laxus and Bickslow were already telling Dubois what to bring over. Whiskey for Laxus, rum for Bickslow.

”We are on a vacation”, Ever chuckled looking at the rune mage who sighed. ”And you owe us this much since you have been keeping secrets from us.”

”Ever”, Freed whined. ”It was not my attempt to keep secrets, I do not think that I can't trust you guys.”

”I know sweetie”, Ever hummed and she asked maid to bring her best champagne they could found from the house. ”But still. From now on, no more secrets”, she said poking Freed's nose slightly. ”Unless it is something really important that you just can't share with us.”

”Alright”, Freed chuckled. ”I give up. I think I might then take a Martini”, he decided and for him it was a big step in alcohol beverages so obviously others cheered for his boldness. ”But I know we are all going to regret this in the morning.”

”There are many things we regret in our lives but if we keep worrying something like that how are we supposed to live?” Bickslow grinned.

 

They ate and they drank. Even Freed was feeling more than just slightly tipsy, he usually only drank one or two glasses of wine if they were out drinking. But he still didn't drink nearly as much as Laxus and Bicks who had a competition. Even Evergreen drank more than him.

”So, there is this one thing I have been wondering”, Bickslow slurred while resting his head on the table and looking at Freed.

”What?” the swordsman asked and he had a tiny hiccup.

”I mean, you always follow rules so damn strictly”, Bicks said pointing at one of the three rune mages. ”How on earth you managed to make an exception?”

”Of what?” Freed asked confused and Laxus and Ever also stopped their conversation. Freed breaking rules? ”I never break rules if there is no really, really good reason for it like saving someone's life or something.”

”But you did, you did”, Bicks grinned his cheeks all red because of alcohol.

”What rule did he break?” Laxus asked confused.

”Teammates are not allowed to date each other”, the blue haired mage explained.

Freed just stared at Bickslow and suddenly he looked more like a ghost, skin pale and eyes filled with horror. And because of the alcohol, his reaction was strong since he didn't have that much refrain on what to say and how to act.

”Oh god...” Ever gasped.

”I... I broke the rule...” Freed stuttered with shock in his voice and obviously he was starting to slip in the panic mode.

”Freed, it's okay”, Laxus reassured quickly.

”No! I broke the rule!” Freed whined and he started to shake. ”It's a very clear rule! It exists so team stays safe and so there won't be fighting!”

Holy hell, it was like it just now dawned upon him for the first time: He couldn't date Laxus! It was against the rules!

“One should not break the rules without a really good reason!” the rune mage wailed.

”BICKSLOW!” Ever shouted and hit the seith mage on the face with her gauntlet, causing the tall man to crash down from his chair. ” _Why_ did you do that?!”

”Sorry! I'm sorry, baby!” Bickslow apologized quickly. ”I didn't... I mean...”

”You caused Freed to fall apart!” brunette hissed as Freed was just muttering something for himself, his turquoise eyes staring at somewhere far and he looked horrified. ”Sweetie, everything is okay”, Ever smiled touching Freed's hand gently. ”This is clearly a justified exception, no one would stand against this.”

”It won't be an exception”, Laxus said and Freed raised his gaze, his mouth slightly open.

”What?! Laxus, that’s not helping!” Bicks yelled finally standing up.

”It won't be an exception because it doesn't have to be”, blond dragon slayer stated shrugging. ”I don't belong in the Thunder Legion in the first place.”

They all went silent. Freed finally blinked slowly and his drunken brain tried to process this information Laxus just said.

”Well, technically I do belong in a team with you guys, but still not”, Laxus said and he grabbed Freed's hand gently. ”We do lots of missions together but I also do them alone. You three formed Thunder Legion as it is right now and decided to follow be – only God still knows why the hell you guys did that – so I don’t belong in that team.”

”That... That is true...” Freed whispered slowly.

”So we are not in the same team”, Laxus smiled. ”Not in a way that breaks any rules when we are dating. Sure, we can confirm this from the old man when we get back home if you really want and it would make you feel better but trust me, he's going to say this is alright.”

Freed's tension loosened little by little as he thought this more. Laxus was right. Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen formed the Thunder Legion and Laxus was their leader but not part of their team.

”Seriously Bicks, if you ever do something like that again I'm going to fucking flay you and use your skin as a scarecrow”, Ever hissed.

”I was just curious”, Bicks smirked. ”And everything is fine again. Freed would have thought that same thing eventually.”

”Maybe”, Ever huffed. She smiled looking at how Freed relaxed again and was talking with Laxus. She was glad that Laxus had thought that rule and come up with an answer. Freed didn't have to feel like he was breaking rules and they could remain as a couple. Of course, they could always break their team also but it wouldn't be the same anymore.

So for a moment everything was once again in order. They would spent their vacation and return back to Magnolia and start training.

 

 


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so SMUT here! (I know you babies have been waiting for more smut to happen) I’ll use XXX when to stop reading and when you can continue reading. I know, in this chapter Freed’s kinda whiny and so on and it’s not like him but I just really want to write how Freed doesn’t have to be so formal anymore with Laxus. He can be sometimes a little whiny and selfish, they are boyfriends now after all and there are no others in the mansion but the Thunder Legion. And of course Dubois and others but that doesn’t matter since they already know how Freed can be.  
> Anyway, enjoy! Thanks for all the comments and kudos! Those really make me wanna write more and more and try my best every time ^^ I also made a Tumblr account for myself finally! https://veikari.tumblr.com/

Freed woke up with a screaming headache. Why was he feeling this bad? Oh, right. They were drinking last night... Now he remembered exactly why it was always a bad idea to drink.  
Bed was moving slightly and someone was trying to pull the blanket off from his face.  
”No... No, I don't want to get up...” Laxus could hear a feeble whine from the bed and chuckled. This bad hangover was something that made his boyfriend totally helpless and whiny and it was so damn cute.  
”Come on. You know you're going to hate yourself if you sleep too late”, he purred and moved the blanket until he could see the green hair. But immediately Freed grabbed a pillow and lifted it above his head.  
”I don't want to wake up”, the mighty captain groaned annoyed.  
”I know babe, but I also know you too well and I know you wouldn't like it if you would sleep any later than it already is.”  
”What time is it...?”  
”It's already one o'clock.”  
There was a silence in the bedroom and finally Laxus pulled more blanket off, revealing Freed's naked body that was filled with love bites. Greenette curled up and whined something nonsensical, still covering his face with a pillow.  
”Come on, are you really not going to get up?” Laxus chuckled and bend down, leaning on his hands that were now both sides of his mate.  
”I'm still thinking...” Freed mumbled from under the pillow. ”Or trying because my thoughts just don't seem to work...”  
”You need a shower, then some food and a big cup of coffee. Then you will feel better”, Laxus reassured kissing Freed's shoulder softly.  
”No, I need more sleep... Wake me up tomorrow...”  
”Okay, maybe I should just carry you to the shower”, Laxus chuckled and grabbed Freed who squirmed and fought back but was too weak to actually do anything.  
”Laxus, put me down”, he just whined miserably.  
”Remember, this is the hardest part of hangover, waking up. You will feel better soon”, Laxus promised kissing Freed who finally stopped fighting and surrendered.  
Ten seconds later Freed was standing under the shower, leaning his hands against the wall. He had to admit, it felt good when water ran down his body. He wasn't feeling that stuffy anymore and it was helping greatly that Laxus was washing his hair for him.  
”It seems like you're not going to wake up fully for the rest of the day but at least you're feeling better”, the lightning mage chuckled kissing Freed's mark making the rune mage shiver.  
”I told you I don't want to wake up, I just want to go back to sleep”, he muttered. ”I don't care if I hate myself later...”  
”You know that is not true. Come on, try to work with me and turn around.”  
”No.”  
”Freed.”  
”No.”  
”You're acting like a little brat”, Laxus scolded.  
”I don't care”, Freed said. ”My head hurts and I can't stand the idea of food.”  
Laxus huffed. Freed was cute when he was like this but he was also a lot of work. He had to do something to make him feel better. And he knew exactly what would help.  
”It seems like this situation requires some serious acts”, Laxus smirked caressing Freed's hips and he leaned closer.

XXX

Freed winced when other arm grabbed around his chest and other hand found it's way to his groin.  
”Laxus”, he said. ”I'm really not in a mood.”  
”You will change your mind”, Laxus purred into his ear and nibbed it, while his hand gently stroked Freed's member making it hard. ”Nothing helps like sex when you have a hangover.”  
”L-Laxus”, Freed whined blushing.  
”Yes, keep saying my name”, Laxus smirked licking the yellow mark in Freed's neck. He knew very well it was really sensitive.  
Freed moaned and enjoyed his Thunder God's touch. He had to admit, this really helped and he was already feeling a lot better. He got confused when suddenly Laxus let go of his cock but when he saw him grabbing his lavender oil bottle he knew where this was going.  
”We really need to make sure there's always lube in the shower”, Laxus murmured and he poured the oil on his fingers.  
”Could be a good idea, that oil is really expensive”, Freed noted.  
”Oh? Should I stop then?” Laxus grinned and squeezed greenette's buttocks.  
”Please don't, this is actually helping a lot”, the rune mage said and he groaned when finger teased his entrance before it slipped in.  
He leaned against Laxus, eyes shut and just enjoyed. Laxus smiled when looking at his boyfriend's face while he was like this. Freed was very rarely selfish and this was one of those rare moments. He just stood there, doing nothing and let Laxus do all the work. Laxus actually liked it sometimes and he knew Freed needed this so he could survive his hangover.  
”You feeling like you could take me in?” he asked finally. Freed nodded and opened his eyes, taking some support from the handle on the wall. This was not why it was there but was perfect for this purpose.  
Freed gritted his teeth slightly when Laxus started to penetrate. Blond was holding him tightly and moved slowly deeper, as he had learned pretty good by now how fast he could do this. Sometimes he needed to be more gentle, sometimes Freed liked it harsh.  
When he was in, he waited for a moment.  
”You okay, babe?” he asked.  
”Y-yeah, you can start moving”, Freed assured.  
Laxus started with slow pace, he was gentle and kissed the mark, making Freed moan. He could feel how his grip tightened from the handle and his groaning got louder, it was the sign he could start moving faster. Usually even if they started gently, it ended with roughness since Freed really liked it.  
Freed panted and moaned harder, jerking himself and pushed himself against Laxus harder. It felt so good, he didn't even remember his hangover anymore. His moans echoed from the tiles and he repeated Laxus' name over and over again, begging for more and harder.  
Finally Laxus gave him one big final thrust, grunting low. Freed could feel strong pulses as Laxus was ejaculating inside him.  
”Laxus”, Freed groaned. He was so close to come.  
When Laxus finally recovered from his orgasm, he again grabbed Freed and straightened him making him let go of the handle. He grabbed the member that was still waiting for it's release, making Freed cry out louder. It only needed a couple fast strokes and Freed was squirming and moaning hard, finally feeling the overwhelming sensation when he came.  
They both panted hard.  
”Feeling better?” Laxus chuckled as he finally pulled himself out and turned Freed around, kissing him.  
”Yes”, greenette smiled and kissed Laxus again. ”But I'm still tired.”  
”That's okay, babe. Just try to stay awake until evening or you will curse yourself because you can't sleep”, Laxus murmured hugging his boyfriend tightly. ”You need now food and coffee. That will help.”  
”I guess”, Freed huffed.

XXX

They cleaned up and dried themselves. They stepped back to the bedroom and Freed wobbled towards the bed.  
”Oh no you won't”, Laxus chuckled grabbing his mate in his embrace. ”We will get dressed.”  
”I don't want to”, Freed whined.  
”Come on”, the dragon slayer said and pulled Freed near their dresser where they kept their clothes now.  
With struggles Laxus managed to get Freed put on boxers and pants, dressing up himself at the same time.  
”How on earth would you survive if I weren't here to help you?” he chuckled and pulled an orange hoodie over Freed's head.  
”I wouldn't have drank that much if you and Bickslow wouldn't have encouraged me to do so”, Freed muttered letting Laxus dress himself. He was tired enough not to even think about dressing other clothes than something comfortable. He didn't care if others would find it odd.  
”Maybe we did get a little bit carried away, we forgot that you are not that used to alcohol”, Laxus laughed.  
”And I'm not planning to get used to it”, Freed stated, lifting his hair up and let Laxus put a silk ribbon on it.  
”Okay, I'll try to remember that next time.”  
”You better. If I weren't this tired I would be really mad at you for letting things slip this bad”, Freed growled and he weakly hit his hand on Laxus' chest. Yes, it was his own fault for drink too much but right now he really wanted to blame Laxus.  
”You can do that tomorrow when you’re not that tired”, Laxus assured amused. That hit couldn't have hurt a fly, hangover really did affect Freed in the most strange way.  
”Don't you think I won't...” Freed muttered and leaned his face against Laxus' chest and closed his eyes.  
”Come on, let's go”, Laxus' smiled shaking him gently. ”You need some fuel. I told them to make sure you get something that would help your hangover.”

With a little bit persuading Laxus finally managed to get Freed in the dining room. Bickslow was there, making Freed groan when he saw the Tiki dolls on the table. He could already hear their high pitched voice ringing in his ears.  
He spun around and tried to escape back to the hallway but again Laxus grabbed his arms around him and lifted him up.  
”You're going to eat”, he said determined and seated Freed down.  
”Having a little hangover, eh?” Bickslow grinned looking at his green haired, worn out friend.  
”Hangover? Freed's a drunkard!” his dolls giggled hovering around Freed, making him whine and cover his ears.  
”Bickslow, give him a rest”, Laxus grumbled to the seith mage. ”You know how it feels when you have a bad hangover.”  
”Fine, baby”, Bickslow smiled. ”You guys go play outside”, he said to his dolls.  
”We wanna play with Freed and Laxus!” 'babies' whined.  
”Later. Get out”, Bicks commanded and Tiki dolls flew out of the open window. Freed sighed relieved.  
”So where's Ever?” Laxus asked as servant brought them food and coffee. Freed creased his nose as he was looking at his plate. So much greasy bacon and eggs. ”Believe me, babe. That helps”, Laxus chuckled.  
“I should know, I have done this breakfast for you guys many times before”, Freed muttered and he started eating.  
He only listened parts what Laxus and Bickslow were talking. Something about going to the town and exploring around. He was only interested in staying home and relaxing, maybe reading some books.  
After the breakfast they walked with Laxus through the hallway that was filled with paintings.  
“Is this your grandmother?” Laxus asked stopping in front of the big oil painting.  
“Yes”, Freed nodded.  
“She was really beautiful. I’m not surprised why she was a primadonna.”  
“Yes, and she was also really kind and caring.”  
“You have her facial features”, Laxus smiled. “And she had a mole just like you.”  
“People have mentioned that many times”, Freed chuckled.  
“So is this man your grandfather then?”  
“Yes.”  
“And these are your parents?” Laxus asked looking at the paintings as they slowly walked further in the hallway.  
“That’s right.”  
“You have your mother’s eyes. Though her eyes are brown. And your father’s eyes are blue just like your grandparents’. So did you inherit your eye colour and hair colour from your mother’s father? The lord what-was-his-name?”  
“Lucados Zaldevil. And yes and no”, Freed answered. “He also has green hair and turquoise eyes but those colours came from demons.”  
“Demons?” Laxus asked surprised looking at his boyfriend. “You mean, like those demonforms you use?”  
“They are actual demons whose powers I’m allowed to use”, Freed explained. “They live inside me and they will never leave. They are… kinda like parasites.”  
“So your mother didn’t have those powers since her hair is red?”  
“That’s right. I had red hair when I was born.”  
“What? Really?” Laxus laughed. “Do you happen to have any pictures?”  
“No”, Freed chuckled. “I know, it sounds pretty funny to imagine my hair being red.”  
They looked back at the beautiful painting where Freed’s mother was sitting near the fireplace, reading a book.  
“So what happened?” Laxus asked. “Why did those demons settle inside you?”  
“It is an old contract between Zaldevils and some certain demons who can’t move around in this world without a master. We can have their powers, they can have their forms and sometimes they can take over the body.”  
“What? I haven’t seen you being taken over by your Absolute Shadow or something like that.”  
“Of course because I won’t let that happen. Demons only want strong masters. Actually, they don’t even want to be in charge that often.”  
“What happens to the demons when their master dies?”  
“I’m not sure… I guess they return to where they come from? I never talked about that with my grandfather. When I was born, I was only one day old when my grandfather took me to the Chamber of Demons in our mansion. That is the place where demons decide if the human is worthy enough for them. I am not sure how many demons I have inside me, since I can’t talk with them before I manage to wake them, like Absolute Shadow. His real name is by the way Valdeghar. Or at least now it is Valdeghar. Name before that was Kiharragh. And before that it was Gjardxvidius... He likes to change his name from time to time, he says it’s refreshing.”  
“I have to be honest, I have never actually thought about it where you got your demon powers from and what kind of a demons they are”, Laxus said amused. “So do they talk with you sometimes?”  
“Yes, mostly in my dreams.”  
“So you said that you are going to inherit your grandfather’s mansion, what happens to the Zaldevils then?”  
“I’m not going to take that name”, Freed said with serious tone. “I will not be the Lord in that mansion. I don’t care if there is some old contract.”  
“So you wanna be a Dreyar?” Laxus smirked making Freed jolt.  
“W-what?” greenette stuttered.  
“Well, it’s just a thought”, Laxus said shrugging. “But maybe some day, if you want. Freed Dreyar sounds really good in my opinion.”  
“It… It does...” Freed gasped. Laxus had actually thought something like that? “But… Will it really be okay?”  
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Laxus chuckled and took Freed’s hand on his own. “Relax, we have time. Don’t go overthinking things now. And we will find a way how to deal with that mansion and contract and so on. Valdeghar… That’s actually a pretty cool name”, he said.  
“I’m sure he is proud right now”, Freed chuckled.


	34. Chapter 34

The train rattled as it moved on the railway. Three days went by fast and now they were heading back to Magnolia. Of course, Freed promised to Dubois that they would visit again and the butler assured that they would always wait and welcome them whenever they decided to come.

The swordsman groaned silently and sneered. Why on earth did he let himself read so late? He knew they had to wake up before sunrise and head to the train station and yet still he had stayed at the library until three in the morning before crawling to the bed. Lack of sleep made his head hurt like someone was pounding it with a hammer.

“Still having a headache?” Ever chuckled sitting in front of the rune mage.

”Slightly”, Freed grumbled irritated.

“And you’re always the one who reminds us to sleep enough”, Bickslow grinned.

“I know that”, Freed said closing his eyes and his fingers gently ruffled blond hair, while Laxus was snoring his head on Freed's lap.

”We will arrive at Magnolia in an hour”, Ever smiled. ”You should head straight home, we go to the Guild and make a report.”

”Thank you, Ever. But as the captain I should be there too”, Freed said. ”I caused this to myself so it is not a valid excuse to not complete my task.”

”Guess we can't stop you when you decide to be a stubborn fool”, brunette huffed. ”So suit yourself.”

One hour later they stepped out the train and Freed pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No more reading trough the night for you”, Laxus said. “I’m honestly impressed how you still managed to get up before me.”

”Even Laxus looks healthier than you and we just came out of the train”, Bicks grinned and Freed muttered something. “You should really take some medicine and rest.”

”I'm fine”, Freed assured. ”I'm starting to feel better. Just don't wake up your dolls or I will shut their mouths for the rest of the month.”

“That’s just cruel, baby.”

They started their journey across the town. When they arrived at the Guild they already saw some of the decorations for the Autumn Festival. There were lots of carved pumpkins and pennons in different colors, as well as lanterns that were still in the middle of painting. They would look really good in the evening when they had candles inside them.

”Only 9 days anymore”, Freed smiled. ”Until the festival begins.”

”So, have you finally come up what you will perform in the festival?” Ever asked.

”Not really”, Freed confessed. ”But I will come up with something, it's not too late.”

”You don't have to perform anything if you don't want to”, Laxus assured. ”Old man will understand. You always do your best in every time we have this kind of things happening, it's not bad if one time you won't do something.”

”But I want to”, Freed smiled. ”And I will. I don’t want to be left out.”

”So Laxus has an idea, huh?” Bicks asked.

”Well, somewhat...” the lightning mage muttered. ”Not sure how I should use it.”

”We can talk about it later and figure out what to do”, Freed said. “Don’t worry.”

”Without Freed you would be lost”, Ever chuckled to Laxus, who laughed.

”Guess I can't argue with that”, he agreed.

They went straight to the Makarov's office and gave their report for the old Master. Even he noticed Freed's condition and said he should be at home resting.

”Pushing yourself too much is not a good thing”, he said arms crossed.

”I brought this to myself, Master”, Freed said. ”So now I should face the consequences.”

”Just go home, baby”, Bicks smiled. ”We all need some rest today.”

Freed sighed. Guess he could as well go home now since they gave their report and it sounded like they were not going to go through what new was on the mission board.

”Fine then, if you really don't need me today”, he said.

”Just rest, okay?” Bickslow said. ”I will return back to my training tomorrow.”

”I will do the same”, Ever smiled. “You should do the same with Laxus and finally decide what to perform.”

”Laxus, could you stay for a moment?” Makarov said when they were about to leave. ”There's something I need to talk with you.”

”Okay. See you at home”, Laxus said and kissed Freed's cheek, making him blush.

”Y-yes”, greenette smiled and he followed Bickslow and Ever to the hallway.

They arrived at the bar and there were already some guild members drinking. Ever and Bickslow both ordered some food but Freed didn’t feel himself that hungry yet.

”I should go then”, he said. ”Tell Laxus that I went in to our house.”

”Why there?” Ever asked confused.

”I miss my books”, Freed chuckled.

“Geez, you just caused yourself a huge headache because of reading and now you wanna read more?” Bickslow said. “Sometimes I just don’t get you at all.”

“I enjoy reading”, Freed smiled. ”I have already read every single book Laxus owns so I really need something new, I have at least ten books in my room that I haven't yet even touched since I bought them.”

”We'll tell Laxus”, Ever promised. ”He might then just follow you into our house.”

”That's okay”, Freed smiled. ”It doesn't matter where we are if we just can be together.”

”Well, I'm going to see Elfman and might spend my night with him so at least I don't need to hear what you two do in your room”, Ever chuckled.

”And I will find Cana”, Bicks smirked. ”So seems like you two can have the house all by yourselves tonight.”

”That sounds nice”, Freed smirked, waved his hand and started his journey towards their house.

 

On his way he stopped at the shop where he could get some medicine and he also bought more tea. He would take the medicine, maybe rest a little while, take one of his new books and curl up on the couch reading. Yes, that sounded like a perfect plan.

The rune mage approached their house and stopped when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of their door ringing their doorbell.

”Good afternoon, Juvia”, he greeted smiling, making the blue haired water mage turn around.

”Freed”, she smiled. ”Good afternoon to you too. Juvia was hoping Freed would be home.”

”We just arrived from our mission and went to give our report to the Guild”, Freed explained. ”You were on a long mission with others.”

”Yes, but it was all worth it”, Juvia beamed happily. ”It was a lot of hard work but we also had a great time!”

”I'm glad to hear that”, Freed chuckled.

”Juvia wanted to come tell Freed all about it! Oh, and Juvia heard that Freed also has something something going on with Laxus”, Juvia smirked mischievously elbowing him playfully in the ribs, making Freed laugh.

It was almost amazing how well they get along, maybe because they understood each other. For a long time they were both obsessed over someone who didn't seem to catch their affection and in some odd way they were kinda similar. They both were capable to feel so deep and overflowing love, unwavering loyalty and admiration that it seemed unbelievable for others. But not for them. They understood each other exactly, even though they acted differently. Freed was not sure if he could completely approve how Juvia used to stalk Gray around all the time, but… Well… Guess some way he wasn’t any better so it wasn’t his place to judge...

They both also knew how frustrating, agonising and sorrowful it all sometimes felt, yet still they were determined to never give up their feelings. They would never abandon who they most deeply loved, no matter if their love would never be returned in the same way. Of course the difference between them was that Juvia never gave up trying to make Gray love her, but Freed had accepted it long time ago that Laxus would never love him the same way he loved the Thunder God. And he was fine with it. Now he was glad that he was wrong.

They had both achieved their dreams.

”What you have heard is correct”, Freed nodded and that made Juvia squeal and wriggle.

”That is so good to hear, Freed!” she exclaimed hugging Freed tightly. ”Could we go somewhere to have tea? Juvia absolutely wants to hear everything!”

”Of course. Eh, but I must confess that I do have a little headache so would you mind if I make us some tea here? I just bought new tea leafs and we should still have some cookies left if Bicks haven't eaten them yet.”

”That would be just fine”, Juvia smiled. ”As long as we can talk if it won’t make Freed’s headache to go worse.”

“I will take some medicine so it will be fine”, the swordsman assured and he opened the door. ”Make yourself at home, Bickslow and Evergreen won't probably be back anytime soon, but Laxus might appear here at some point”, Freed said as he started to boil water after they left their shoes and coats at the lobby.

”That's okay”, Juvia assured and helped to set the table.

”Ah, here they are”, Freed smiled as he took out the cookie jar. ”It seems like Ever has been here”, he chuckled and put the jar on the table.

”How can you tell?” Juvia asked.

”Because if it were Bickslow, then he would have just shamelessly eaten all of them. But since only four or five are missing it has to be Evergreen. She thinks that we won't notice that sometimes she likes to have some midnight sweet snacks.”

”How can Freed tell some of them are missing?”

”Because I'm the only one here who makes them. I'm usually the one who makes all the food and I do the grocery shopping too. They just give me the money and a list what they want. I don't mind, at least I then know they don't eat just junk food”, the rune mage shrugged and poured water on the teapot.

”Freed really cares about his team”, Juvia smiled with bright face. ”That is so nice.”

”I know everyone in the Guild cares about their own team deeply”, Freed smiled and sat down. ”We all have our own ways to show it.”

 

They started chatting and Freed listened what Juvia told him about their mission. Apparently they did have some problems and quite unusual kind, since Wendy and Erza had had some kind of a argument. But they talked it over and ate some cake and everything was forgiven.

”So what is Gray doing now?” Freed asked.

”Gray was really exhausted so he went straight home”, Juvia said. ”Juvia decided to come first here to talk with Freed and then go back home too. Now Juvia wants to hear about Laxus and Freed”, she chuckled.

So Freed told him what had happened. How he went on the blind date with Rufus, suddenly Laxus was chasing after them, at the Guild he grabbed him possessively – at this point Juvia giggled and wriggled on her seat – and they talked about their situation.

He decided to left out the part where Laxus lost himself to his dragon side for a moment.

”We should double date sometime”, Juvia said suddenly full of excitement. she was so happy for her green haired friend!

”That would be nice but I don't know if it would work”, Freed chuckled. ”Since Gray and Laxus don't have that much in common. I can see how they would just sit there awkwardly and wouldn't say a word.”

”Now that Juvia thinks about it, Freed might be right”, Juvia sighed and all the excitement slowly disappeared. ”That is such a disappointment...”

”Well… Maybe we could sometime go eat with a bigger date group?” Freed suggested. ”There should be someone who can talk both Gray and Laxus.”

”How about Levy and Gajeel?” Juvia said and Freed thought about it.

”It might work”, he nodded. ”As long as they won't start a fight. Gray is not like Natsu but if they push the right buttons then he will not hold back one bit.”

”Gray is just so powerful”, Juvia sighed with overflowing adoration in her big dark blue eyes.

”You lost the point...” Freed mumbled. ”But anyway, it is not a bad idea to suggest this to Levy and then we can talk to Laxus, Gray and Gajeel. But I'm pretty sure those three might not be that delighted about this idea.”

”Freed might be right”, blue haired water mage sighed. ”It can be that this triple-date won't happen. They don't care about tea or biscuits or cake and talking...”

”Especially talking”, Freed nodded. ”At least not Laxus.”

They both sighed. Yeah, it was likely impossible to arrange anykind of a triple-date. Guess they had to be satisfyed with just this.

”Is Freed feeling better now?” Juvia asked.

”Hm? Yes, tea and biscuits helped a lot and a good company of course”, Freed smiled.

”That is good to hear. Juvia should probably head home now”, the blue haired mage smiled and stood up and Freed did the same.

”It was really nice to catch up with you”, he said.

”Juvia thinks so too! We must do this again but maybe after the Autumn Festival.”

”By the way, have you come up with something yet? Or did you guys just heard about it today?”

”We heard about it today but we already have a good show in mind with Gray”, Juvia said excitedly.

”That is good.”

”And Freed and Laxus?”

”I have to say I have no idea what to performance and Laxus... Well he had an idea but then it feels like he gave up with it.”

”Well, just think about something funny you can offer to children and that should be enough”, Juvia instructed. ”Something that could be also educational?”

Freed thought about it. Laxus only used lightning magic and jutsu shiki... But if those two could be combined somehow...

Then it hit him. Of course! That would be simple enough that Laxus could practice it even if they had only couple of days left and it would most certainly be funny for the kids.

”Juvia, you just gave me a great idea”, he laughed.

”Really? Then Juvia is glad”, Juvia smiled.

Door opened suddenly and revealed the Thunder God who stepped inside.

”Juvia?” he asked confused when he realized there were a guest in the house.

”Good afternoon, Laxus”, Juvia smiled. ”Juvia was just about to leave, we had a really nice chat with Freed”, she said and took her coat and put her shoes on.

”Let's settle another date after the Autumn Festival”, Freed smiled making Laxus raise his eyebrow.

”Date?” blond asked.

”Let's talk about it after the festival”, Freed just said ignoring the lightning mage's grumblings.

”Okay, Juvia is waiting it excitedly”, Juvia smiled and after goodbyes she stepped outside.

Freed started to wash the cups and teapot.

”Why was she here?” Laxus asked and he leaned on the work surface.

”We were just talking what all has happened”, Freed said and he looked at his boyfriend. ”You are not jealous are you?” he asked, making Laxus stiffen slightly.

”Just wanted to know why she was here”, he growled annoyed looking other way.

”Relax, we are just really good friends”, Freed chuckled and he put the cleaned cups away. ”I'm still not planning to cheat on you.”

”I know...” Laxus muttered and blushed a little bit ashamed. It was still hard not to get jealous sometimes, especially if situations were sudden like this time.

”And it was really good that Juvia visited”, Freed said smiling. ”She gave me a really good idea.”

”Yeah?”

”Yes, something you are going to like”, Freed purred.

”Really?” Laxus asked stepping closer to his long haired mate.

”It's going to ease all your worries.”

”Oh?” Laxus smirked pulling Freed closer to him. ”I really do like that.”

”Good”, greenette chuckled. ”Then we will start training early in the morning.”

”What?” blond asked confused.

”I finally know what you could do in the Autumn Festival”, Freed grinned and he laughed when Laxus pouted.

”Really...?” the taller man grumbled and was clearly disappointed. ”How is that going to ease all my worries?”

”Now we know what to do so we can focus on the training. And I might have an idea what I could do too.”

”You trickster, made me excited for nothing.”

Freed smirked and there was now a mischievous twinkle in his turquoise eyes.

”I said we start tomorrow”, he reminded. That made Laxus' face lit up again and big grin revealed his canine tooth.

”You little vixen”, the dragon slayer murmured.

”I would prefer if you would not say -” Freed's words were cut off because hot and possessive kiss. Big hand grabbed his ass and he was lifted up, quickly wrapping his legs and arms around Laxus so he wouldn't fall. ”Fine, whatever...” Freed finally muttered between kisses as Laxus seated him on the work surface.

 


	35. Chapter 35

It took a lot of training but when the Autumn Festival arrived, they were ready. Freed smiled as he watched how his guild mates started to get ready for whatever they had planned from the early morning. Some people put up a real show, like Bickslow who hinted that he had at least music in his show. Evergreen said that her show would start at the evening when it was dark.

He had ended up making just something easy for the kids, something they could enjoy. So he had made a large trap in the open area, dark purple and inside it there were labyrinth. There were many entrances and he had made sure that rules allowed kids to come out even in the middle of the game if they so wanted, if they started to feel scared or just got bored.

Rules were really simple. There were a reward in the middle of the labyrinth and kids could go in alone or in teams. They had to choose if to turn left or right and at some point they were stopped because of the wall. There would be a riddle and correct answer would dismiss the wall, allowing kids to continue. Of course below every riddle there were runes that remind the kids they were not really trapped and they always could quit if they wanted.

Of course, Freed had also added some extra just to amuse children. There were a rune trap that reversed colours inside it, as well as a trap that would change voices. All the riddles were based on what kind of a trap there was. Most challenging trap was when Freed needed to make rune walls that were elastic so kids could bounce around. It took most of his time in training to learn to make something like that.

”Okay, so you decided to do something simple, eh?” Bickslow snorted looking at the huge trap.

”It might seem complicated but it is actually very simple”, Freed assured.

”Yeah, sure, whatever you say, baby. But why can't I go in?” the seith mage pouted.

”Because it's only for kids and just because you act like one doesn't change the fact that you are an adult. Sure, if there is an emergency then adults are allowed to go in to help. And don't even joke about causing an emergency just so you can go in”, Freed warned gazing at his old friend.

”Fine, baby”, Bickslow muttered. ”It sucks to be an adult”, he groaned crossing his arms.

”Maybe sometimes”, Freed smiled. ”But there are also many things you can do only when adult.”

”Ohh, I wonder what you might be talking about”, Bicks snickered wrapping his arm around greenette's shoulders. ”It must have been really busy days for you, training at days and in the nights a certain blond dragon slayer would grab you and -”

”Bicks!” Freed shouted blushing. Well, Bickslow wasn't exactly wrong but he didn't want it to be shouted out loud so everyone could hear!

”Man, you're so easy to tease”, Bickslow smirked and Freed muttered something shooing his hand away. ”So, where is Laxus? Haven't seen him yet today.”

”He's at the park. I was about to head there now that this labyrinth is ready.”

”You're not going to stay here and keep an eye if something happens?”

”I don't need to. Runes will disappear immediately by themselves if there is something wrong like someone attacking or similar. And there are always some parents nearby so if there is an emergency they can help. Of course, my runes will always warn me if something is about to go wrong and I can use teleport to come here in seconds”, Freed explained as they started their journey towards the park. He had made sure that he knew the exact location where to appear with teleport.

”Seems like you have everything under control”, Bicks grinned. ”Kids are gonna love that trap.”

”I don't believe it can compete against the park”, Freed chuckled. ”It is beautiful now that Eve has made it snow in there and Gray has frozen the pond.”

”Oh yeah, you like winter”, the seith mage remembered.

They arrived at the entrance to the park and Freed smiled. Here, in the street there were still warm autumn day. But when they stepped in the park, they heard crunching as their shoes flattened the snow.

”I have to admit that this is awesome”, Bickslow grinned looking at the snow covered trees and bushes. There were also lots of ice and snow sculptures around. Some of them were big enough so kids could use them as a hiding places or even slides. Reedus had also helped and some of the snow was beautifully coloured so kids could use it in making own sculptures or something similar.

”It really is”, Freed smiled and he took a green fluffy scarf and gloves from the table near the entrance. There were lots of warm clothes for people to put on. ”There will be lots of children here playing in the snow while I believe most of the adults are at the beach enjoying summer.”

”Bickslow! Freed!”

They looked at the dark haired little girl who giggled and skipped towards them.

”Asuka, are you having fun?” Freed smiled.

”Yes! This park is the best place in Magnolia right now!” Asuka laughed excitedly.

”Oh? What about the Guild?” Bickslow grinned and he bend down looking at Asuka.

”That is an exception, nothing could be better place than Fairy Tail”, girl assured and grabbed onto Bickslow's helmet. She giggled when the tall man straightened himself and she were really far from the ground!

“That’s right”, Bickslow said. “And what are we?”

“We are the strongest Guild ever!”

“Hell yeah we are!”

“Bicks, that way you’re going to teach her that cussing is a good way to express yourself”, Freed scolded.

“Relax Freed, Asuka is a big girl, she already knows that”, Bicks snorted and Asuka giggled. “She knows lots of good stuff.”

“Booger is just weakness leaving the body”, Asuka stated nodding.

“I can see she has spent too much time with you… Where are Bisca and Alzack?” Freed asked.

”Mama and papa are somewhere here at the park”, Asuka said and she had started to do little braids in the crest of Bicks' helmet.

”Maybe we should find them”, Freed suggested. ”It is not a good idea to run around all by yourself, Asuka. Something might happen.”

”I'm sorry, Freed.”

”It's okay, you're forgiven. Let's go find your parents before they start to worry too much”, the swordsman said and they started walking again.

”Bickslow, where are your 'babies'?” Asuka asked from the man whose shoulders she was sitting on.

”They are still sleeping”, Bickslow grinned. ”They have a big show today to perform.”

”Aww, I was hoping I could play with them”, Asuka sighed.

”You can play with them later after the show. I'm sure that this time you guys can have even more fun than ever before”, Bickslow grinned.

After searching a while they found Bisca and Alzack. Then they continued their journey deeper to the park until they finally saw the familiar dark coat and blond hair. This time Laxus was actually wearing his coat, not just dangling it on his shoulders.

”Hello, Laxus”, Freed smiled.

”Hey guys”, Laxus said without turning around, looking at the frozen bond.

”What are you doing?” Bickslow asked as they stopped at the Laxus' sides.

”Feeling nostalgic, I guess”, blond shrugged and that surprised both Freed and Bickslow.

”Feeling nostalgic about what?” the rune mage asked curiously. ”That is not like you, Laxus.” Laxus had been acting a little bit weird many days already, ever since they came back from the mansion. Freed was sure something was going on but he was not sure if he should pry…

”I was trying to remember when was the last time I went to ice skate”, the dragon slayer explained. ”Man, it seems like it has been forever.”

”We should totally try it”, Bickslow grinned. ”There is a booth over there, seems like you can get skates from there and it's not yet too crowded here in the park so you won't crush anyone if you fall”, he snickered.

”Like you’re one to talk”, Laxus laughed. “You should remember that I was actually quite good at ice skating”, he defended himself as they started to move towards the booth.

They arrived at the booth and Freed waited as Laxus and Bicks went to get the skates for themselves.

”Here”, Laxus said and suddenly skates were dropped on Freed's hands.

”Eh? What? I didn't say I was going to ice skate”, Freed said and now he was feeling uneasy.

”Come on, baby”, Bickslow said and quickly he snapped the skates at the bottom of his shoes. There were magic in the skates and they were easy to put on and remove and they wouldn't slip off. ”For the old times. Do some pirouettes and stuff and have fun”, he grinned and stepped on the ice. Bickslow was good at ice skating and so was Laxus. They were a little bit rusty of course at first but it was quickly shook off.

”Just put them on and move your ass here, Justine”, Laxus commanded when Freed were just standing there.

The rune mage sighed and he finally snapped the skates at the bottom of his boots and straightened himself. It didn't show but he could definitely feel how his legs shook. This was a challenge. He should face it and do his best.

”You're like a green little foal taking his first steps, baby”, Bickslow snickered as Freed stepped on the ice. How was it possible that the ice was even more slippery than he remembered?!

”You'll get a hang of it again soon”, Laxus smirked and grabbed Freed's hand.

”Laxus, no don't -!” Freed managed to cry out but then he felt a large hand on his back and his body stiffened when he was shoved towards Bickslow.

”Catch”, the blue haired mage grinned and turned Freed around making him almost fell.

”Bickslow, don't!” Freed yelled but was again shoved on with bigger speed this time.

“Relax”, Laxus laughed catching him in time before Freed fell backwards. “You’re too stiff. You can’t ice scate like that.”

“Please, just let me -!” Freed started his plead but forgot what he should say when once again he was pushed ahead.

Laxus watched how his mate slid across the pond and there was a big thud and snow flumpfhed around for a while.

”Freed?” he asked as they couldn't see the mage who had completely disappeared in the snowdrift.

Finally it started to move and green haired head popped up.

”I think I just broke myself...” the swordsman sighed.

”No you didn't”, Laxus chuckled and helped him up, swiping off some of the snow. ”But seriously, how can you possibly be this bad?”

Freed muttered something and blushed.

”I never learned how to ice skate”, he finally confessed.

”Bullshit”, Bickslow said. ”We've been ice skating before together!”

”No. You, Evergreen and Laxus have been ice skating together, I always found some way to avoid it. Fetching hot cocoa or something similar”, Freed said adjusting his scarf and cringed as he felt a little amount of snow slipping inside his collar. “It has been many years since we were here together and because I was here with you guys even though I didn’t ice skate even once, your memories say I can do it. It’s perfectly normal phenomenon and it happens more often than people even realise.”

”Damn, you actually never skated before?” Laxus asked surprised.

”No. Well, once I tried to learn it when I was alone but I just broke my arm.”

”Well this is a good opportunity for you to learn how to ice skate”, blond decided and again he grabbed Freed's hands.

”I really would rather just take these off”, greenette said nervously as Laxus pulled him back on the ice. His legs started to shake again and he almost collapsed but Laxus put his arm around his waist. ”I'm not good at ice skating”, Freed said as his legs were slipping over and over again.

”Just because you're not good at something doesn't mean you should give up”, Laxus chuckled. ”Isn't that the kind of shit you always ramble to us?”

”Yeah, totally Freed”, Bickslow smirked and Freed sighed.

”You will be fine, babe”, Laxus smiled and pulled Freed against himself. ”You're a smart guy, you figure it out quickly when we help you a little bit.”

”Somehow I can't find a way to trust that...” Freed mumbled. It seemed like he had no other option in this, so he at least tried and stood up, trying to keep his legs perfectly still so he could keep his balance. But he knew already this would be something he would regret in the next day.


	36. Chapter 36

No matter how much they practised it seemed impossible for Freed to learn how to ice skate. In the end he had so many bruises he absolutely refused to go back on the ice anymore, and was just sitting on a bench.

”I give up, you really suck at ice skating”, Laxus huffed and sat down beside his boyfriend while Bickslow returned their skates back to the booth. ”It’s probably for the best if you never try it again.”

”I agree”, Freed groaned. ”Never again.”

”It's really weird, you know? You usually do even a decent job no matter what and it seems like you are somekind of a superhuman. This reminds that even you can't do everything”, Laxus smirked, making Freed pout.

”I hope you're not going to make fun of me about this for the rest of my life”, the rune mage grumbled.

”It depends”, blond laughed. ”If you're going to bitch me about something ridiculous I just might bring this topic up.”

”I guess in some way that would be fair”, Freed said with small smile.

”Okay babies, where should we head next?” Bickslow grinned. ”My show will start in two hours so let's just waste our time somewhere before that.”

”Where do you perform?” Freed asked as they stood up and started walking towards the park’s entrace.

”At the beach, that's definitely the best place for it now”, the seith mage grinned.

”Why not go there then?” Laxus said. ”Ever is probably there too sunbathing.”

They left the borrowed clothes on the table and Laxus took off his big coat when they stepped on the streets that were filled with colourful leaves.

”Laxus, there is one thing I have been wondering”, Freed finally decided to ask.

”Yeah? What is it?”

”When we came back from our mission and were about to leave, Master wanted to talk with you about something. What was it?”

Laxus said nothing just staring ahead as they kept walking.

”Being mysterious here, are we?” Bicks said. ”Come on, baby. Tell us.”

”There is no need to talk about that now”, Laxus just said. ”We can do it later. Let's just enjoy this festival now.”

”Then is it something that could ruin it for us?” Freed asked.

”I said we can talk about it later”, Laxus snarled and Freed raised his eyebrows. Obviously it was something important, it had something to do with Laxus and his Thunder God was not going to share that information with them at least now. ”Sorry”, Laxus muttered. ”I promise I will tell later, okay?”

”Okay”, Freed nodded. It was better not to push the topic when Laxus was that irritated about it.

They arrived at the beach and looked around.

”Baby!” Bickslow howled and grabbed his arms around Cana who was sitting at the outside bar.

”There you guys are”, Cana laughed her cheeks burning red because of alcohol.

”And she's already smashed”, Laxus chuckled to Freed who nodded.

”Cana, maybe you should slow down a little?” greenette advised. ”Of course you can do whatever you want, but you might pass out before Bicks' show.”

”What? No I won’t!” Cana giggled waving her hand and leaned against Bickslow heavily. ”Don't you come to tell me what to do, you... you... You Freed!” she burped right in front of Freed's face and almost made the swordsman throw up.

”How many barrels have you already devoured?” he asked and stepped away from their drunken guild mate.

”Who counts? One, eleven, two, twelve...”

”That's my girlfriend”, Bickslow grinned hugging Cana. ”When the fireworks are over, let's go get totally hammered in the evening. You guys should join us.”

”I'll pass”, Freed said immediately. ”I haven't forgotten our vacation hangover yet.”

”Aww, you are no fun, baby. Laxus?” the seith mage asked looking at the dragon slayer. Laxus looked at Freed who smiled.

”You know, you don't need my permission to that”, he chuckled. ”You can always do what you want.”

”I know. But I’m going to pass this time too”, Laxus said shaking his head. He had other plans in mind already. “And we also need to clean this all when the Autumn Festival is over. And I don't like doing that with a headache.”

”I'm sure Master has some plan how it could be done quickly”, Freed assured.

”Gramps? You wish! I'm sure he haven't given a shit about how we are going to clean this hell. He just wants to watch chicks on the beach”, Laxus snorted and Freed rolled his eyes. ”Cana, have you seen Evergreen?”

”Oh? She isn't here anymore?” Cana realised looking around. ”She was right here a moment ago! We were having such a great time”, she said with a sigh.

”She absolutely shouldn't drink anything if she is going to have a show later at the evening”, Freed huffed.

”Like you can tell me what to do, sweetie”, Ever chuckled, standing behind Laxus and Freed. ”Don't you worry, I can handle one or two drinks”, she convinced and took a sip from her red drink. ”I'm not lightweight like you.”

”I guess I can't stop you”, Freed sighed shaking his head.

”You're right, you can't”, Ever just hummed happily and sat down on the stool next to Cana. ”So did you guys get everything ready?”

”My labyrinth is on it's place and Laxus has done his own job in the town”, Freed said.

”So what did Laxus do?” Bickslow asked curiously. ”Can you finally tell us?”

”It's nothing really interesting”, Laxus muttered. ”Just something for the kids.”

”Maybe you should make one here too so they could see?” Freed suggested.

Laxus muttered something and stepped farther from the bar. He dropped on his knee and drew some simple runes on the sand.

”I hope that's not all of it”, Bicks chuckled when rune barriers hoisted up and formed a narrow cylinder that was about Freed's height. ”I mean, it is a really nice trap and all, you're getting better at rune magic but even I know those runes can't even hold a mouse inside them.”

”Just wait”, Freed smiled.

Laxus put his hand at the surface of the barrier. They waited for a while and then they could see little sparks starting to emerge inside the trap. First they were tiny, crackling around but slowly they grew bigger. They all combined together at the middle until there were one big lightning ball hovering in the middle.

”That does look interesting”, Ever admitted. ”What does it do?”

”Try touching it”, Freed said nodding at the rune cylinder.

They all stepped next to the cylinder and Cana – as she was drunk enough not to be scared – was first one to put her hand at the surface of the cylinder. Her hair puffed and lifted up.

”Ooh! That's actually very clever”, Bickslow said excitedly and put his hand at the rune barrier. His helmet's crest fluffed. ”Kids must love this.”

”Who knows”, Laxus shrugged.

”We must try this”, Ever grinned, opened Freed's hair, grabbed his hand and put it on the barrier.

They all stepped farther when his long hair fluffed around.

”Har har”, Freed muttered. ”You have no idea how much of a pain it's going to be to brush this bush”, he said. But this felt really good. It felt like something warm moved around his body, in his veins. Was it Laxus' magic?

”Your mark is glowing”, Laxus purred stepping beside him.

”It is? Must be because it is responding to your magic inside this trap”, Freed smiled.

”That's cool”, Bickslow grinned. ”Not just your mark, it’s like there are tiny lightning bolts all around your skin. You're like a lightbulb”, he laughed and was about to put his hand on Freed's shoulder, but the air crackled loudly and the seith mage quickly backed out hissing and shaking his hand. ”That hurt, Laxus!” he said.

”I didn't do it”, Laxus said. ”Must be because of the mark”, he pondered and Freed put his hand down. His green hair settled again and glowing started to vanish slowly.

”Well, next time we have to walk in the dark forest we know we can use Freed as a lamp as long as Laxus provides the electricity”, Bickslow snorted.

”Well well, looks like you brats are having fun”, they heard a chuckle.

”Gramps”, Laxus said looking at the tiny old man.

”That is really clever use for your magic, Laxus”, Makarov said looking at the trap. ”I guess it was Freed who came up with this idea?”

”Yeah”, Laxus nodded.

”Well, the important thing is that everyone is enjoying it”, Makarov smiled. ”Well done, my boy. Bickslow.”

”Yeah, Master?” Bicks asked.

”They have assembled all the things at the stage that you said you will need in your show.”

”Awesome! You guys are gonna drop your jaws”, Bicks cackled. ”This will be the best show you're gonna see in the whole festival!”

”We'll see about that”, Ever chuckled waving her fan. ”Don't get too cocky.”

They followed Bickslow near the stage that had been build for that day so some of them could make their shows on it.

”Instruments?” Freed asked confused looking at the drums and other instruments. There were total six of them.

”Yeah, I told you guys before that in my show there will be music”, Bickslow grinned and he lifted his cape. ”Come on, babies, time to wake up”, he said and five little tiki dolls appeared full of energy.

”Show! Show!” they chanted.

”Yes, this is going to be the best show ever, right babies?”

”Right, daddy!” dolls giggled.

”Daddy?” Laxus asked. That was new.

They sat down on one of the benches and people started to gather when they noticed someone was moving on the stage. Most of the Fairy Tail members arrived also to see their fellow guild mate's show.

”This is really exiting”, Ever smiled. ”Will it be a good show?” she asked from Cana who laughed.

”You bet”, she grinned with a tiny hiccup. ”Just you wait.”

Finally it seemed like Bickslow had assembled everything like he wanted and they looked with curiosity how his dolls chose one instrument each, hovering above it. Bickslow himself sat behind the drums.

”Alright babies, just like we practised it”, the seith mage smiled encouragingly. ”You can do it.”

”We're good!” 'babies' snickered.

Bickslow raised the drumsticks above his head and started to hit them together. Green magic patterns appeared at the surface of the dolls and it spread all around until they were completely covered by it. Bickslow grinned and he hit the drums with force and green light filled the stage.

When they could open their eyes, most of the Fairy Tail members did not know how to react.

”Oh my god”, Freed said eyes widened.

”There are six of them now”, Ever gasped.

All the five dolls had taken a human form, playing their instruments. They looked like teenagers who had wild hair styles with different colour each and their clothes matched with Bickslow's clothes more or less. They moved on their own just like any other humans but their form were slightly transparent.

”He must have trained for this like a maniac”, Laxus said impressed.

”Yeah, he really put everything in this”, Cana smiled proudly. ”Pappa, Pippi, Puppu, Peppe and Poppo also.”

”So that's how their souls look like, it is actually really fascinating”, Freed chuckled.

”No wonder they wanted to stay with Bicks, they kinda look good together like that”, Ever smiled. ”Don't get me wrong, this is going to be a hell if they can transform whenever they want but it is still kinda nice.”

”Right now they can only do this three times a day”, Cana explained. ”And around half an hour at a time. Boys can transform when they want one time but other times they need Bicks' magic since they don't have it that much themselves yet.”

”So can they speak more and do what they want?” Laxus asked.

”Yes. But they are still pretty eager to do what Bicks asks and they follow his orders. But they are getting more and more independent the more they practice.”

”This is exactly what we needed, Bickslow to have kids who are probably just as bad as he is”, Ever sighed.

They enjoyed the show, Bicks and his 'babies' were actually a really good little band. When the show was over they were rewarded with big applauds. Everyone was impressed and surprised. As the people finally started to scatter, Laxus, Freed, Evergreen and Cana could approach the stage.

” _Freeeed_!” they heard shout from five mouths and Freed was knocked down because of the young teenagers who hugged him tightly.

”And as usual they like you very much”, Ever chuckled. “You guys look cute together.”

”They get bored when they can't torment Freed”, Bickslow grinned when he walked over to them.

”Get off of me”, Freed commanded when he finally was able to stood up.

”We don't want to”, Pappa smiled.

”We wanna play with Freed!” Pippi grinned.

”You should go play with Asuka”, Freed sighed as Puppu ruffled his hair. “Stop that immediately”, he said.

“Fluffy”, Puppu just giggled hugging Freed’s hair.

”Laxus!” Peppe shouted and hopped to hang on Laxus' shoulders. ”Can you play with us, pretty please?”

”No”, Laxus said. ”Leave Freed alone you brats!” he roared and that made the kids back off quickly.

”Laxus is scary!” they said hugging Bickslow and Cana.

”Laxus just doesn't want to share his toys”, Bickslow smirked.

”Mean Laxus!” Poppo said pointing at Laxus. ”Laxus is a lightning chicken!”

”Keep talking and I will -” Laxus snarled but Freed stopped him:

”They are just teasing you”, he said. ”They look like teenagers but act like little kids.”

“Uh oh”, Pippi said suddenly and they started to glow again. With a little ‘poof’ the Tiki dolls returned back to normal.

”We need to train more so we can extend their time in their other form”, Bickslow said as the dolls giggled and twirled around them.

”Can they fight?” Ever asked patting one of the dolls who snuggled against her arm.

”Yes, they can use their attacks and -”

”Bickslow!” they heard a familiar shout and Natsu stormed over out of nowhere. ”That was amazing! Please fight with me! Right here right now!” he demanded. “I wanna see how strong those dolls are now!”

”Sorry, baby”, Bicks grinned. ”Can't do that now. I already promised Asuka that she could play with 'babies' after the show.”

”Then we can fight after that”, Natsu suggested immediately.

”Not today, but I will kick your ass tomorrow first thing in the morning”, Bickslow promised with a confident laugh.

”I’m gonna hit you so hard you don’t know how many dolls are dancing around you!” Natsu grinned. ”Laxus, you -”

”No”, Laxus declined immediately.

”Come on! Freed then?”

”No thank you”, Freed smiled.

”Ever? Cana?” Natsu asked.

”No”, Ever chuckled.

“Too drunk”, Cana slurred and she slumped on Bickslow’s arms.

”But you should definitely go find Gray”, Ever said with a small, slightly evil smirk. “I overheard how he said that you can’t do even a decent job here to warm the beach because he can still wear his pants.”

With that Natsu sprung across the beach trying to find the ice mage.

”Always full of energy”, Freed huffed. ”But now you're stuck with a fight tomorrow”, he said to Bickslow.

”It could be fun”, the seith mage grinned.

”You know he will be in front of our house at six o'clock in the morning, pounding the door and shouting.”

”If he does that then it will be me who is going to kick his ass”, Ever muttered.

 


	37. Chapter 37

They watched few other performances too in the beach and then they headed to the marketplace. It was filled with booths full of different foods. There were even a huge grill at the centre of the marketplace, full with different kinds of meats.

Freed was really enjoying the festival. It was really fun to see what their guild members performed. When the evening started he was already yawning.

“Feeling tired?” Bickslow said as they were walking together towards the area where Freed had made his labyrinth before. Laxus was talking something with Makarov and Ever was getting ready for her performance. It would start just after the sun had set and before they would shoot the fireworks.

“Yes”, Freed nodded. “It has been a really long day. And it seems like my labyrinth takes more magic than I assumed. I don’t usually misjudge things like this...”

“You’re just getting old”, Bickslow smirked. “Laxus will get worried when he sees you like that. Looks like you might collapse at any minute.”

“I’m not that tired”, Freed chuckled. “But I’m glad it is time to finally vanish the labyrinth. It’s getting too dark and all the kids want to see the fireworks when they start, so there won’t be anyone to play in the labyrinth anymore.”

“I’m sure there has been a lot of bustle during the day”, Bicks said.

They arrived at the area and both of them got surprised when they saw Asuka, sitting there alone in front of the big trap.

“Asuka? What’s wrong baby?” Bickslow asked worried as they stepped beside the little girl.

“I-I wanted to go in the labyrinth but… But I’m too scared to go alone but no-one wants to go with me”, Asuka wailed grabbing Bicks’ leg tightly.

“What? Why wouldn’t they want to go with you? You’re the best company ever!” the seith mage assured. “Did they say something bad? Do you want us to hunt them down and make them apologize?” he grinned.

“They said nothing bad for me… But they said they didn’t want to go there since those traps are evil”, Asuka muttered and Freed flinched. “I told them they are not! Freed is not evil!” Asuka yelled.

“Of course he’s not”, Bickslow reassured. “None of us is. Those kids are just big chickens, you don’t need to care what they say.”

“I’m sorry, Freed, that I’m too scared to go alone...” Asuka sniffled. “But I still don’t think your runes are bad...”

“I know, Asuka”, Freed smiled. “I’m not offended. It’s alright to get scared sometimes. Even us, the Thunder Legion get scared sometimes.”

“Really?” Asuka asked. “Even Laxus?”

“Yes, even Laxus. Though he doesn’t like to be reminded by that”, the rune mage whispered with a chuckle, making Asuka laugh.

“Feeling fear sometimes is a good thing”, Bicks grinned lifting Asuka up to sit on his shoulders. “It makes us careful so we won’t do stupid things and get hurt.”

“I can’t believe _you_ are actually saying that”, Freed laughed.

“Does Bicks do lots of stupid things?” Asuka asked.

“He does, but he’s still very reliable”, Freed smiled.

“Hey, I got an idea!” Bickslow smirked.

“No, really?”

“Since Asuka don’t wanna go alone, I should go with her!”

“I did not see that coming.”

“Come on, baby! It’s a great plan!” Bickslow grinned.

“It’s the most awesome super-duper holy macaroni plan!” Asuka beamed happily.

“I swear, you somehow planned this”, Freed huffed crossing his arms looking at his old friend. “You just really want to go in to the labyrinth.”

“I wanna go to the labyrinth with Asuka! We make a great team together!” Bickslow cackled. “Right, Asuka?”

“Right!” Asuka smiled nodding.

“Well… I cant’s say no to Asuka”, Freed said shaking his head. “So fine, you can go in, Bicks. But make sure Asuka will be okay and let her answer the questions, they are made for kids after all.”

“I know, I know”, Bicks grinned. “Let’s go, Asuka! This is going to be super fun!”

“Charge!” Asuka cheered and they disappeared through the entrance.

Freed smiled and he sat on the ground, leaning his back against the tree. At least they managed to cheer up Asuka. Though, he was still pretty sure Bickslow had planned this whole thing with Asuka all along somehow, since he knew that girl didn’t get that easily scared.

He just sat there and waited, closing his eyes just for a second and then he was already sleeping.

 

When Freed opened his eyes he knew this was a dream. He was still outside, leaning against the tree in front of the labyrinth. But everything around him was lacking colours. Shadows were deeper than normally and the landscape was moving oddly.

“Good evening, Valdeghar”, Freed yawned.

“Freed”, he could hear the deep, husky voice from the shadows.

“What is it? You don’t usually appear like this, I might wake up at any minute”, Freed said looking calmly at the shadows below the trees and he could see two dim eyes looking at him.

“We want to warn you”, Valdeghar whispered. “Huge changes are coming. Stay near your mate.”

“Stay near Laxus? What kind of changes are we talking about?”

“That we cannot answer. We can’t tell what you need to find out yourself. But beware the Lord.”

“The Lord?”

“He will soon make his move, Freed. He has heard about the changes… And he wants to take benefit of them.”

“How on earth can he know about the changes if I don’t know?”

“Lord has his own ways.”

“I see… Thank you for the warning, even though you can’t actually tell me what’s happening”, Freed nodded.

“We know what’s happening”, Valdeghar said and the eyes in the shadows narrowed slightly like snickering. “Don’t be scared, Freed. Stay near your mate and everything will be alright.”

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Valdeghar.”

“Good. So… Your mate likes our name?” the demon in the shadows asked and now he sounded flattered.

“Yes. He thinks it is really cool.”

“Nice. Then we might keep it a little longer.”

“Go back to sleep, Valdeghar”, Freed chuckled. “I think Bickslow and Asuka will return soon.”

“We also like our name”, he heard a distant whisper before his eyes shut again. “It is a nice name.”

”It is…” Freed mumbled before he felt like falling back to sleep, even though he was sleeping all along.

 

Freed woke up when Bickslow shook his shoulder.

“Wakey wakey”, the blue haired mage said.

“You’re going to catch a cold if you sleep out without a tent, Freed”, Asuka scolded.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep”, Freed yawned and stretched. He should talk with Laxus soon about what Valdeghar had told him. “So did you guys have fun?”

“Yes!” Asuka giggled excitedly. “It was not scary at all!”

“That is really good”, Freed chuckled and stood up. “Now I should vanish this labyrinth and then we all head to the beach. Evergreen will show us what she has been practising and then Master Makarov wants to make a speech.”

“And then there will be fireworks!” Asuka smiled.

“Yes”, Freed chuckled.

They headed to the beach that was now crowded. It was a little hard but they finally managed to find Bisca and Alzac and for the second time that day they returned Asuka for them.

“Where are they?” Freed muttered looking around but he didn’t see Laxus or Ever anywhere.

“Before we left to the labyrinth, I saw Master talking with Laxus”, Bickslow said. “Maybe they are still talking? As for Ever, we know how she wants to make a showy entrance so she will not appear before it’s her time to perform.”

“I guess you’re right. But I would still be more relieved if I could at least see Laxus”, Freed said. He was still a little bit worried because what Valdeghar had said. Stay near Laxus... Was something about to happen to Laxus? He should do his best so he could help him no matter what.

Freed had to actually push people aside so he could continue and look for Laxus. He already lost Bickslow in this huge crowd but he knew he would be alright. He didn’t believe there would happen something right here in the festival.

But where Laxus was? Why couldn’t he find the lightning dragon slayer?

”Master”, Freed sighed relieved when he saw the tiny old man.

”Oh, Freed”, he smiled. ”Are you enjoying the festival?”

”Yes, Master”, Freed assured nodding. ”I hope you are enjoying it too?”

”Yes, it has been a really nice day”, Makarov hummed with an awry smirk, obviously thinking about the girls on the beach running around.

”Master, have you seen Laxus?” Freed asked. ”I haven’t seen him for a while and I’m a little bit worried.”

”Laxus? Yes, he was here a moment ago. I told them that I would announce everything now.”

“Announce? Who is he with?”

“Erza. I thought Erza and Laxus would be perfect rivals. I was also considering to add Mirajane as the third rival but she refused.”

“Master, what’s going on?” Freed asked confused.

”What? Didn’t Laxus tell you?” Makarov asked surprised.

“No, I know there is something he is not telling me but when I asked from him about it today, he told me he would explain later.”

“I see…” Makarov muttered.

“Please tell me what’s going on”, Freed said. “What are they doing?”

“Well, you are about to hear it soon anyway”, Makarov huffed. “They start their missions I personally chose for them and we will see which one of them is suitable to be the next Master.”

Freed stared at Makarov hardly believing his ears.

“One of them will be our next Master?” he asked.

“Yes. I told Laxus to tell you since you’re his mate and his mission might take even two months.”

”Two months?” Freed almost cried out loud. ”I should join him in his mission.”

”Absolutely not”, Makarov forbid. ”This is his solo mission. I chose those missions for Laxus and Erza really carefully so I can see if one of them is suitable to step up and take my place as the Master of the Fairy Tail. I ain’t getting any younger, Freed. Who knows when I might die. There needs to be new Master ready. Erza and Laxus are the best candidates right now since Gildarts has made it perfectly clear he is not willing to take the Master’s place. Laxus may have his past, but he has also shown how much he cares about the Guild.”

”I just… I just can’t believe he didn’t tell me”, Freed said and his legs shaked. Why didn’t Laxus tell him? He might be gone for two months! That was a really long time! Did Laxus… Maybe…

”Freed, don’t start overthinking”, Makarov scolded grabbing Freed’s hair and pulled him closer. ”He did not want to go. He wanted to stay here with you, but I pushed him to go. You understand that, right? He has to do it. He won’t leave you, he will come back”, the old man said softly. ”It’s only two months.”

”I… I understand, Master”, Freed nodded. But it didn’t help how it felt like his stomach was tied in millions of tiny knots and his legs shivered slightly. ”When will they leave?”

”Tomorrow”, Makarov said. ”I decided that this morning, that’s why I want to announce this whole thing now. They don’t know the departure time yet.”

”I see… I should probably talk with him.”

”You should. Don’t be too harsh on him”, Makarov said letting go of Freed’s hair. ”But my stupid grandson did wrong when he didn’t tell you this sooner.”

”He… Probably didn’t know how to tell”, Freed said and tried to smile slightly. ”He has never been good with words in these kind of situations.”

”Yeah… So, it seems like Evergreen is starting”, Makarov noticed and Freed turned towards the stage as well. ”And after that I will make my speech and announce about the missions.”

Freed sat down and looked at Evergreen. He wanted to enjoy the show but his thoughts were somewhere else. He watched how hundreds of tiny yellow orbs appeared in the air and they changed their appearance into tiny fairies. Yellow little fairies – with or without tail – fluttered around in the air and Freed heard gasping, amazed fuss and cheering.

He too was impressed, but… He just couldn’t enjoy the show like he wanted. People’s voices were just noice he hardly heard, it was like he was sitting under the water, feeling alone despite being surrounded by thousands of people.

Laxus… Why didn’t you say anything? Were you having doubts about this relationship? Were you planning to just disappear and reappear after two months and act like nothing never happened between them?

 

After Evergreen’s show the crowd started to assemble again finally. Little fairies were still moving around, playing with the kids and sitting on top of the lanterns. Freed silently moved at the edge of the crowd where it was more calm but he still heard what was happening at the stage.

He did not want to be surrounded by his fellow guild members right now. He wasn’t sure if he could stand this. The pain in his heart was too agonising.

But when Laxus climbed up on the stage, Freed couldn’t look away. There he was, always so handsome with his rough features, jagged scar, long dark coat dangling from his shoulders, orange eyes looking around the crowd. His gaze was sharp and Freed was sure he could see every member from the Fairy Tail among that huge crowd.

Even him. But when their eyes finally met, Freed looked away almost instantly. This was too much.

When Freed didn’t notice, Laxus took one step to leave the stage so he could go and comfort his mate. He really wanted to do that. Freed must had heard about the mission from somewhere. He knew what Freed was thinking. He knew his dear rune mage all too well that he could almost see all those thoughts, how Freed was thinking that he would leave him or something similar.

”Laxus”, Makarov grumbled as he stepped on the stage along with Erza. ”You have to stay.”

”Like hell I should”, Laxus snarled annoyed. ”Freed’s there and –”

”As the Master of the Fairy Tail Guild I command you to stay right were you are”, Makarov said with a warning tone in his voice. ”Freed will be fine, I told him about the situation and reassured that you would come back.”

”What? Why did you tell him?”

”Because you didn’t. You’ve known about this nine days already and you didn’t tell him so someone had to do that. Now let’s get over with this then you can go to him. He will be alright just for a moment.”

”I was planning to tell him tonight. I knew he would just worry about everything if I told him about this before. I had already planned what to say to him.”

”Well, you can say it after this”, Makarov assured and he cleaned his throat.

That made everyone go silent. Freed raised his eyes again and looked at the stage, where Master was now speaking. He didn’t even hear most of the speech, as he was looking at Laxus who stood there like he was made of stone and he looked annoyed. Well he always looked like that but Freed could tell he really was irritated because of something.

“Their missions shall start tomorrow”, Makarov stated and Freed heard how the crowd cheered. “We will send them on their way from the gates of the Fairy Tail, at the noon.”

Freed stood up when the crowd started clapping their hands. He knew one thing: Whatever was the reason why Laxus didn’t tell him what was about to happen, he needed to make sure the lightning dragon slayer had everything he needed for the mission. If it would last even two months, he should make sure the first-aid box was full and there would be enough salt and other ingredients he couldn’t find from the woods if he couldn’t buy them from the town for some reason.

He just turned around and started walking towards Laxus’ house.

 


	38. Chapter 38

Freed arrived at the house when the fireworks already started to lighten up the sky above the city. He just shut the door behind him and took off his boots and coat, making his way to the closet. He took out Laxus’ big old backpack and put it on the bed in the bedroom, starting to go trough what was needed for the mission.

It was not like it was the first time he packed everything ready for Laxus, but it was worrying that he didn’t know where he was going and what he would do on this mission. Makarov didn’t tell anything about what the missions contained. But if they were picked up to choose who would be the next Master of the Fairy Tail… They were not just some simple missions.

After packing the first-aid kit, clothes and a blanket, he sat down on the bed for a moment. He really wanted to go on this mission with Laxus but he couldn’t. How could he make sure Laxus would be okay? What if something really would happen on the mission…

Freed snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the front door opening. Big shoes hit the floor in a familiar way that told him Laxus had come home. He should just get up, wish him good luck and whatever Laxus wanted for them to happen, he only needed to accept it.

So why couldn’t he get up? His legs refused to listen to his rational thoughts. He heard footsteps from the hallway and his hands started to shake suddenly. Why couldn’t he control himself?!

Laxus stepped on the room and looked at his green haired mate who was sitting at the edge of the bed. It pained him to see Freed looking at him so terrified and ready to cry at any second.

“Laxus...” Freed said and his voice broke.

“Don’t talk, just listen”, Laxus said stepping in front of the rune mage. “I know what you’re thinking. You are wondering why I didn’t say something. You are freaking out because you think I’m doing some shit like ditching you while leaving or something similar. I won’t do that”, he assured.

“If you knew how I was going to react, why didn’t you say anything?” Freed muttered.

“First of all I didn’t know how to tell this to you without making you worry all the time”, Laxus huffed. “Then I needed to think of a way how to make sure you would absolutely be sure everything will be alright and nothing would change while I’m gone.”

“You could have just said so”, Freed said and stood up now. “Do you have any idea how I was feeling when I had to hear about this mission from your grandfather, not directly from you? You’re about to be away for two months! You had so many days time to tell me!”

“And if I told you, then what? You would act brave, smile and be like nothing is wrong but still worry like hell and overthink everything? I can see it when you’re in pain, Freed”, Laxus said caressing softly Freed’s cheek, making him blush slightly. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

“That is not a valid reason to leave me out of this”, Freed muttered. “Just because you don’t want to see me worrying is not a good reason not to tell me something like this before you are just about to leave because guess what, I am going to worry no matter what and I know overthinking is something I often do but I can’t stop.”

“I understand, Freed”, Laxus said kissing Freed’s forehead. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you before. You know I’m going to miss you like hell, righ?” he asked wrapping his arms around Freed.

“I know now”, the swordsman said smiling slightly sad, tugging Laxus’ purple shirt in his hands. “I’m going to miss you too… I would definitely come with you but Master forbid it.”

“Yeah, we are not allowed to take anyone with us, we are only allowed to rely on our own skills.”

“Let’s just hope you don’t need to talk too much...” Freed chuckled, making Laxus laugh.

“I can speak well enough if I need to”, he assured. “Just trust me. Come on, babe, I wanna show you something”, Laxus smiled nodding towards the door.

Freed followed Laxus to the street and they continued until they were at the forest.

“Why are we here?” Freed asked as they climbed up the old trail.

“I was going to bring you here right after the speech”, Laxus said. “You remember this place, right?”

“I remember we used to come here when we were younger”, Freed nodded. “If I remember correctly, there is a beautiful view across the town.”

“You’re right”, Laxus chuckled.

Finally they got up and Freed smiled looking at the city of Magnolia. There were so many lights because of lanterns and despite it being quite late already, most of the folks were still awake and outside on the streets. They could hear distant music and murmurs.

“Damn, I was so sure we would make it in time to see the fireworks from here”, Laxus muttered disappointed.

“It’s alright, this is still really nice”, Freed chuckled.

“That’s good”, Laxus smiled and Freed noticed a basked and a lanter that were on the ground.

Laxus took the lantern and hanged it on the branch, using a tiny spark to lit up the candle. Freed could hardly believe what he was seeing. Laxus actually tried to do something romantic! It wasn’t maybe anything big and showy but Freed loved it, as they sat down on the grass under the lantern.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t make these myself”, Laxus chuckled when Freed looked what was in the basket. Finger food, that was nice. And a bottle of very expensive wine with glasses.

“You don’t like wine”, Greenette said.

“Eh, it won’t kill me”, Laxus shrugged it off and he opened the bottle.

“You know I can’t stay mad at you after all this”, Freed huffed.

“Really? Didn’t even thought about that”, Laxus smirked pouring some wine in glasses. “I just wanted to do something nice for you because I have to leave for two months. And when we read those books of yours together, you always seem to enjoy that romantic shit they do to each other. So I just thought what the hell, maybe I could do something like that at least once”, he smiled and handed the other glass to Freed.

“Knowing how you really feel uncomfortable with things like these, that is really sweet”, the rune mage smiled, clinking glasses with Laxus.

“I brought a blanket too because I was thinking about spending the whole night here so we could watch the sunrise together”, the lightning mage smiled.

“I like that idea”, Freed chuckled. “Let’s hope it won’t rain.”

“Oh come on, I really try to be romantic here”, Laxus laughed. “Bitch.”

“Now you sound more like the Laxus I know and love”, Freed smirked and he kissed his Thunder God.

They both got surprised when suddenly more fireworks was shoot in the air. It was really beautiful sight, this place was absolutely the best location to admire fireworks as they brightened the whole sky with their colors.

“Seems like we weren’t that late after all”, Freed smiled.

“Yeah, that’s good”, Laxus nodded and he leaned against the tree behind him, pulling Freed closer.

They sat there, watching how fireworks brightened the sky and their booming filled the air. Finally there were only couple of fireworks left and then there were silence as they stopped. Freed smiled as he knew that even if the fireworks were beautiful and all, they both still preferred silence.

Suddenly Freed could almost hear in his ears Valdeghar’s words what he told him earlier in his sleep. He knew he had to speak with Laxus about that. It was just such a pity that he had to break this beautiful moment.

“I need to tell you something”, Freed finally said and Laxus gave him an inquisitive hum. “Valdeghar told me something earlier.”

“Yeah? What was it?”

“He told me to be careful and stay near you”, Freed said and Laxus looked at his boyfriend. “He couldn’t tell me what is going on but I guess we will find out it at some point. I’m worried that he meant something might happen to you.”

“How can he know something is going on?”

“I don’t know, he just knows.”

“Could he be lying?”

“No, Valdeghar is actually very reliable, he wouldn’t say something like that without a reason. Sure, we weren’t always in good terms but we have learnt how to work together. He warned about the Lord.”

“Who’s that?” Laxus asked frowning.

“I’m not sure… But if I have to guess, I believe he meant my grandfather”, Freed said. “We should be really careful then.”

“Yeah… If I had known that earlier, I would have definitely refused to go in this mission”, Laxus grumbled. “For me it sounds more like something might happen to you.”

“If that is true, I have Bickslow and Evergreen here to help me”, Freed assured. “And everyone else, so you don’t need to worry. You’re the one who has to go out there alone for the whole two months without anyone’s help.”

“I will be fine. I’ll be back before you know it. I won’t let some old fart to stop me coming back home to you”, Laxus smirked brushing Freed’s neck with his fingers. “Just promise me that you will be careful.”

“I will”, Freed promised with a smile.

As the evening went by, they just looked the view of the Magnolia as well as the sky filled with stars. At some point Freed started to doze off but he woke up when he heard the big bells of the cathedral, telling them it was now midnight.

“Did you fall asleep?” Laxus chuckled when Freed yawned.

“Yes, I’m really sorry”, he said.

“It’s alright, babe. You can sleep. It’s still six hours before sunrise.”

“Are you not going to sleep at all?” Freed asked and he pulled the blanket over them and leaned his head against Laxus’ chest.

“I will, just not yet. I still want to admire this. Are you cold?”

“No, I’m fine”, Freed assured closing his eyes. Laxus moved his hands and Freed couldn’t stop smiling when he felt how big, soft coat wrapped around them. “Alright, this is much better”, he murmured.

“That’s good”, Laxus chuckled.

 

“Freed? Freed, wake up.”

Freed hummed something nonsensical and brushed some green hair out of his face.

“Is it morning already?” he yawned and wiped his eyes. “I think I didn’t wake up at all through the whole night when we were here.”

“You were in a really deep sleep”, Laxus chuckled. “The sun is starting to get up.”

Freed smiled and he was leaning against Laxus between his legs, moving just a little bit enough so he could see how the sky at the east had started to turn orange.

“I love that color”, the rune mage smiled. “It reminds me of your eyes.”

“You’re still half-asleep”, Laxus chuckled.

“I mean it. I have always admired your eyes, they are so beautiful yet sharp and somehow dangerous”, Freed smirked.

“That sounds odd, I don’t think I have ever heard someone saying something like that about my eyes”, Laxus said. “I love your eyes too”, he smirked touching Freed’s cheek, making him chuckle.

“I’m glad to hear that”, the rune mage said.

They just sat there and looked how sun slowly raised itself higher and higher. Shadows disappeared and light filled the whole town as well as the forest around them. The burning orange color started to fade little by little and they could hear how someone at the cathedral started to toll the bells.

“I’m glad we stayed here”, Freed said.

“Me too”, Laxus nodded.

“But we can’t stay long”, Freed sighed. “We still need to fully back your backpack and you need to eat.”

“Don’t worry, we still have time”, Laxus reassured kissing his boyfriend. “Just a little bit longer, until the sun is up enough so it will brighten the sea.”

So they waited. Freed smiled when the sun finally was high enough so it’s rays glimmered at the water surface.

“That’s breathtaking”, the swordsman said. “So beautiful.”

“Yeah”, Laxus smiled. “It is.”

“A perfect ending scene for a romantic picnic like this. It was worth to wait”, Freed said.

“We are not going anywhere just yet.”

“Really? Is there something more?”

“Yes”, Laxus said and now he looked really uneasy. “Fuck, I hate saying romantic crap no matter how much I try”, he growled annoyed.

“You’ve done really well, you can stop”, Freed chuckled. “Don’t do anything you don’t like doing just for me.”

“I have to”, Laxus said. “Because I want to even though I don’t like it. That sounds ridiculous...”

“No, for me it makes perfect sense because I know you well enough”, Freed smirked. “I’m honestly really surprised you could do this much just for me.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m still kicking myself because I didn’t understand it sooner how much I love you, so now that I have you I have to make sure we can enjoy every second together.”

“Now that I would call romantic”, Freed grinned and he turned around kissing Laxus. “But everything happened for a reason. You didn’t understand it because you weren’t ready.”

“I guess… But I’m ready now”, Laxus smirked. “Hell, I’m ready for anything. And if you know me as well as you said then I don’t even need to use some fancy words and shit, do big romantic gestures like in those books.”

“They are just books”, Freed smiled. “Real life is never like that. I know you’re not like that but I appreciate that you try sometimes.”

“You have no idea how fucking hard it is so I really hope I don’t need to do this for nothing”, Laxus said making Freed confused.

The lightning dragon slayer put his hand in the pocket of his coat and took something out. It was a black box with velvet coating.

“Okay, don’t say even a peep”, Laxus said when Freed opened his mouth, his eyes widened. “Speak only when I give you the permission, okay?” he asked and Freed nodded quickly. “Alright… Okay, so… I won’t do that kneeling and shit because that’s stupid, so I’m just going to talk. I actually never thought I would really do this some day. And we have been together only what? One month? But we have known each other many years before that”, blond smiled. “And even though I didn’t realise it, I have liked you for a long time already. Everything is so good right now so it kills me that I have to leave you for two months. But I know you will be alright, babe, ‘cause you’re strong, wise and careful. At that two months we are not allowed to make any contact so it’s going to be harsh and lonely, but just believe that I will come back.”

Freed really did his very best so he wouldn’t cry but he already felt tears in his eyes.

“Don’t cry”, Laxus groaned. “Because now I start crying too, shit. I hate it when I’m having this much touchy feelings”, he snarled, making Freed laugh. “Whatever, I just want to make sure you really understand that I will come back and nothing changes. I will not come back with someone else or forget you or something like that. And don’t you dare find someone else while I’m gone, that ass is only mine. I will eat every single guy who tries to touch it.”

“My jealous dragon”, Freed smirked.

“Damn right. And no speaking. I don’t know if I will become the Master or not after this mission, I honestly don’t care anymore. But I know it means a lot to Gramps so I just have to do it for him. And yeah, Fairy Tail needs a new Master we have to finally admit it. Gramps maybe won’t die just yet but he cannot defend the Guild like he used to. So, I’m sorry that I have to leave you but I have no other choice. I just want to ask you before that: Will you marry me, Freed Justine?” he asked looking at the rune mage.

“Yes”, Freed sniffled. “Definitely”, he smiled.

“That’s good to hear”, Laxus smiled and he took the ring out of the box. “This belonged to my grandmother but don’t worry, it’s just a plain ring so no-one knows if it belongs to male or female. It’s still a Dreyar family heirloom and I want you to carry it.”

“I love it”, Freed smiled looking how Laxus put the ring on his finger. “What about you?”

“I have this”, Laxus said and he showed a ring matching with Freed’s. “This is from Gramps. He ain’t getting married anymore so he gave these for me a long time ago.”

Laxus put the ring on his own finger and Freed couldn’t stop admiring how good their hands looked when they put them side to side, rings touching.

“I love you”, Freed said kissing Laxus and he put his arms around his neck, touching his blond hair with his long fingers.

“I love you too, babe”, Laxus smiled wrapping his arms around the swordsman. “Everything will be alright.”

“I know. I will wait patiently”, Freed smiled and rested their foreheads together. “You had to wait me at the start, now I will wait for you.”

“It’s only two months”, Laxus laughed. “It’s not like I’m leaving for two years. We can do this.”

“You’re right”, Freed chuckled, kissing his dragon slayer again.

 


	39. Chapter 39

After spending one really satisfying hour at their own little hiding place, they finally needed to start their journey back to the house. Freed started to make some breakfast and Laxus went through what else he needed besides the things Freed had already packed.

When they finally arrived at the Guild, it was ten o’clock already. At their way they had decided not to mention anything about the engagement.

“I won!” Bickslow suddenly yelled with a grin. “I told you guys they wouldn’t show up before ten. They had too much to do the whole morning”, he smirked arching his eyebrows knowingly.

“Good morning to you too, Bicks...” Freed muttered. “So how did your fight with Natsu go?”

“They both lost”, Ever chuckled before Bickslow could open his mouth. “They bonked their heads together and knocked themselves out at the beginning.”

“But I woke up before him so I won!” Bicks said.

“Sure, if that makes you feel better.”

“So, are you excited, Laxus?” the seith mage grinned as they sat on their usual table. “Can’t wait to hit the road?”

“I wouldn’t say that”, Laxus murmured. “I only agreed to this because of Gramps. But I haven’t had any thoughts about being the next Master for a long time. I think it would be most easiest and best thing for the Guild to just handle that title to Erza, so we don’t need to do these stupid missions.”

“Don’t say that, Laxus”, they heard a chuckle and looked at Erza who approached their table. “Master decided this is the way how things are settled so that we must do.”

“Guess there’s no other way”, Laxus groaned annoyed crossing his arms.

“Come on, don’t give us that act like you don’t care”, Erza smiled. “We know you care. I’m glad I have this opportunity to rival with you, even though I have no interest of being the next Master. If you ask me, that title belongs to you, Laxus.”

“Are you stupid or something?” Laxus growled. “I’m the last person in this Guild who should be the next Master.”

“I don’t think others think that way. Yes, maybe in the past there has happened things that you’re not proud, but it’s in the past. We can’t change things we have done but we can now do our best so tomorrow will be better. Do you think that Master Makarov has never done any mistakes?”

Freed looked at Laxus who said nothing.

“You can’t let your past haunt you forever, Laxus”, Erza said. “We need you with your full capability here and you can’t do that if you don’t let go of the old things that doesn’t matter anymore”, she stated and headed back to team Natsu’s table.

Laxus just muttered something and Freed chuckled.

“I told you, no one here is against you being the next Master”, the rune mage said with a smile.

“I just think it’s stupid...” Laxus grumbled.

“You will make a great Master, I know it.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be awesome”, Bicks grinned. “Can we the Thunder Legion then have some special treatment?”

“No, you idiot”, Laxus said smacking Bicks’ head. “If I have to be the Master then you guys should be the ones to show example not to break the fucking rules without a really damn good reason.”

“That’s my Laxus”, Freed smirked proudly.

 

As the clock slowly approached 12, they all started to gather at the Guild Hall. Freed smiled looking around. The whole guild had come to wish good luck for Erza and Laxus. It was almost impossible to try to have a moment just for themselves anymore but that was alright. They had an amazing morning just for themselves.

There were only half an hour time left and Freed was still going through Laxus’ bag just in case something was missing, when the lightning dragon slayer stepped beside him.

“It’s fine, Freed. Just let it go finally”, he said grabbing his bag and put it on the floor.

“I just wanted to be sure”, Freed said.

“I have waited for a long time to finally say this to you: You’re acting ridiculous”, Laxus chuckled, making Freed pout. “It will be fine.”

“I hate it when Master said you are not allowed to make any contact to us”, Freed sighed. “We can’t even use communicator lacrima.”

“I know, it sucks. But I try to do my mission as quickly as possible so I can get back”, Laxus promised kissing Freed’s cheek, making him blush. “You know what? I’m not even surprised that no one has yet noticed the rings”, he chuckled.

“And when they notice I’m the one who has to explain everything by myself since you’re not here”, Greenette huffed.

“Sorry, babe.”

“It’s alright”, Freed smiled. “Should we tell at least to your grandfather?”

“Nah, he will notice soon enough. Could you do me one favour?”

“You know you only need to ask.”

“Could you keep an eye on Gramps while I’m gone? Just talk with him sometimes at the evening and so on.”

“Of course”, Freed smiled. “I will keep company to him and make sure nothing happens while you’re away.”

“Thanks, babe”, Laxus smiled. “I know you and others will be fine.”

 

The whole Guild was standing outside and everyone was looking at Laxus and Erza who were standing in front of the gates. Some of the townspeople had also come and wish them good luck.

“Is there anything you still need to know?” Makarov asked from those two. “After you step through those gates, you are on your own in your missions and can return only when you have completed what have been asked.”

“We understand everything, Master”, Erza assured.

“Good. Laxus, your mission takes place at the north, Erza, yours is at the south. Follow the mission sheets I gave you. These might not be the hardest missions you have ever done, my children, but they are tough as you have to complete them alone. Be brave and never forget that we are here and we will always watch over you.”

“Thanks, Gramps”, Laxus said with small smile.

“We will wait your return with anticipation”, Makarov said and they heard how bells started to toll. “It is noon. Now get out here, brats! And show them the might of the Fairy Tail!” he said and the Guild cheered.

Freed smiled slightly sad. This moment had something familiar in it. It felt like the day when Laxus was exiled from the Guild… They wouldn’t see each other for a long time again. But he needed to remember this was nothing like that time. Laxus wasn’t exiled, but on a mission that would decide if he would become the next Master. This was a whole different situation.

As Laxus turned their eyes met for a second. The lightning dragon slayer smiled and nodded encouragingly and Freed returned the gesture. Everything would be fine.

At the next second Laxus was already walking away from the Guild with Erza and they all just stood there, watching in silence until they finally disappeared from their sight. And even then they all just kept standing there for a while, until the townspeople started to slowly scatter.

“I know many of you guys are worried about them”, Makarov finally said looking at them. “But they will be alright. It’s not like I send them to the gates of death or something. Let’s all go now inside.”

Freed followed the others to the Guild Hall.

“Okay, so moving on to the next topic”, Makarov said when he stepped on the bar counter. “Elfman, Bickslow, if you would do the honour?”

“Try and stop”, Bicks grinned.

Freed flinched when suddenly those two men grabbed his arms and he was lifted up and shoved on the bar counter, barely able to maintain his balance so he wouldn’t fall. With confusion he looked at Bickslow and Elfman, then the others and saw everyone smiling.

“ _Congratulations_!” they shouted loudly making the whole Hall tremble.

“W-what?” Freed stuttered blinking.

“About the engagement, you blockhead”, Bickslow smirked.

“Engagement! Freed’s a bride!” his dolls giggled.

“It is always nice to have a reason like this to have a party”, Makarov laughed loudly as they started to open barrels.

“But we just had a festival yesterday”, someone said.

“Well, then we just keep that festival going on!” Makarov guffawed.

“B-but… How did you…?” Freed asked amazed, but was cut short when Evergreen reached to hand him a piece of paper.

“Sweetie, weren’t you even a little bit surprised how he talked with almost everyone? He told me to give this to you after the surprise”, she smiled and Freed took the paper, opening it.

 

“ _Surprised? I hope so. Now you have something to do since you have to figure out the best possible punishment for me because I broke the rule of not telling about the engagement. That should keep you busy at least for a while. I will come back before you know it, love._ ”

 

Freed could only laugh. He should have known. Laxus always managed to surprise him somehow when he least expected him to. He loved it.


	40. Chapter 40

For the first week Freed did his best to live in Laxus’ house by himself but he soon noticed it was not a good idea. Everything around there reminded him that Laxus was somewhere far on his mission and wouldn’t return in a long time yet. So when Bickslow and Evergreen came to bring him home after two weeks, he was actually really grateful for them.

But it was still hard, even if his friends tried to keep him busy and they were looking for a good mission for the three of them. Freed did his best not to sink in despair by thinking what could happen to Laxus. He would come back, definitely. He had promised that and Freed always trusted him no matter what. Laxus was strong and smarter than he looked.

That morning Freed was really surprised when he noticed that Bicks and Ever had actually woken up before him and they were already at the Guild. So he decided to take a shower, dress up and head to the Guild as well. Maybe they had something planned? He had to admit that he had been quite passive last couple of weeks, not much of a help in any way but making dinners and cleaning. Sometimes he was perhaps also slightly more irritated than he would normally be… And if he was being honest, he was feeling kinda sick from time to time...

Freed couldn’t help it, though. Maybe it had something to do with the dragon slayer magic? It was like he was constantly only thinking about Laxus and he missed him so much it almost drove him crazy. Was Laxus perhaps missing him just as much? Was he like this because they were separated? Well, this or that he only knew for sure that his body and mind missed Laxus like hell and he wanted to snuggle against his Thunder God, sleep beside him and just be with him.

But he couldn’t, not before Laxus would return from his mission so he just had to try to snap out of it, that’s what he decided when he locked the door and stepped on to the street. Warm autumn days were over and the breeze was ice cold, it wouldn’t take long and winter would start.

The rune mage arrived at the Guild and opened one of the doors stepping in. He smiled when he saw Bickslow standing in front of the mission board.

”Good morning”, he said stepping beside him.

”Good morning, baby”, Bicks grinned. ”We thought you wanted to sleep a little longer since you weren’t doing the breakfast already.”

”I guess I just read too late last evening”, Freed said. “Where’s Ever?”

“She’s over there, talking with Elfman.”

”Are there new mission sheets?”

”That’s why we came early”, Bickslow said. ”Mirajane put these on this morning. There are four interesting missions, do you wanna check them out?”

”Alright”, Freed nodded and Bickslow took four sheets from the board handing them over.

One was again an escort mission and Freed was not really excited about that. Next two were something about little bandits somewhere and in the fourth sheet a small village asked for help to get rid of a monster that was eating the farm animals at night. None of them seemed to be really challenging for them…

“Is there anything else?” Freed asked looking at the board.

“No, we just checked up everything, these are the best choices”, Bickslow assured not moving from his spot in front of the mission board, making Freed lift his eyebrow. “What?”

“Are you two thinking that it might not be a good idea for me to go into more arduous missions?” Freed asked slowly, narrowing his eyes in a slightly dangerous way that made Bickslow sweat. Damn, Freed had honed that deathly glare to it’s finest point... “You know I’m perfectly capable of keeping my personal feelings locked up so it wont affect our job. Or are you doubting me?” the rune mage asked with a low, challenging tone. Not in a playful way and that made Bickslow even more nervous. There was a really good reason why Freed was the captain, despite being the youngest. Just Freed’s irritated glare could make many challenger run away in fear.

“No, baby”, Bicks said. “I don’t doubt you, I know you can keep yourself together. But let’s just start with this”, he suggested. “Let’s take more when we come back if everything goes well, right?”

Freed said nothing, still glaring at the seith mage suspiciously but they turned towards Evergreen when she approached.

“Morning, Freed”, she smiled. “Oh, being cranky are we?”

“Blame Bickslow”, Freed muttered.

“That’s nothing new. So do we have a mission?” Ever asked, Bicks looked at Freed and the swordsman gave up finally.

”What do you think about this?” he asked and gave the mission sheet for the brunette.

“This one?” she asked and flinched when one of the Tiki dolls bumped against her back. ”Well… It might not have the best salary, but it would be a good deed to help them out”, she said.

”Yeah, and it’s not that far”, Bicks grinned. ”Depending on how long it will take to find that monster, it might only take a day or two, three at the most.”

Freed sighed. He needed to remember that Bickslow and Evergreen were just worried, they meant well. And Ever was right, it would be a good deed to help this village.

”So this will be our next mission”, Freed decided. ”The salary is enough so we can cover the next month’s bills with it. But if they have struggles to survive the next winter because they have to pay this, we won’t take the money.”

”We guessed you would say that, baby”, Bickslow chuckled.

”We’re good! We’re heroes!” his ’babies’ said proudly.

Freed stepped at the bar counter where Mirajane was working already.

”Good morning, Mirajane”, greenette smiled.

”Good morning you three”, Mira greeted. ”So, did you find a new mission?”

”Yes, we would like to take this”, Freed nodded and handed over the sheet. ”Do you know anything more about this than what is stated at the paper?”

”No, sorry”, Mira said shaking her head. ”That paper came with many others in the same pile, it wasn’t brought here by someone specifically. So remember to be really careful, okay? It might be harder mission than it says.”

”We will be on alert, thank you”, Freed nodded with a smile.

”I will let them know that you will arrive there soon”, Mirajane promised.

With that they left the Guild. At their house Freed made them some breakfast and packed lunch for all of them. After eating and checking that hey had all the supplies they needed in their bags, they headed to the train station.

 

Journey to the town near the village took almost two hours and after that they had to walk one hour until they arrived at their destination.

”Looks like a poor little village”, Ever muttered as they looked around. Buildings were simple, some of them decayed. Animals were kept in fences around the village and it seemed like the village got most of it’s income from them. Of course they were then really important and losing even one was a huge loss.

”That settles it, we will do what we can to help them out”, Freed said and others nodded. ”If Laxus is going to be the next Master, it is our duty to show that Fairy Tail will never turn their back if someone needs our help. No matter if they can pay us or not, we will help this village.”

”The future Master’s soon to be husband has spoken”, Bickslow snickered and his ’babies’ giggled, making Freed roll his eyes.

”I was hoping I could buy a new fan…” Ever sighed and Freed scowled at her. ”I didn’t say I wouldn’t help”, brunette huffed. ”You know I will.”

”I know”, Freed muttered.

”Good, so stop being such a grump and let’s go find the head of the village.”

After couple of questions they were lead to the biggest house at the village. It seemed like it was the place where villagers kept their meetings and so on.

”Good afternoon”, the head of the village greeted them as they came in to the big hall. ”Are you the ones who decided to answer our cry of help?”

”Yes, sir”, Freed nodded. ”We are the Thunder Legion from Fairy Tail. My name is Freed Justine and these are Bickslow and Evergreen. We are here to help you with the monster problem.”

”Thank the gods”, one of the villagers said relieved. ”That monster has been rampaging this area the whole fall!”

”We have lost quite the amount of our animals already”, the head of the village sighed. ”And every night we are afraid that some day it might be one of us the monster takes, not just the animals.”

”We will help you”, Ever smiled.

”Yeah, you can count on us”, Bicks grinned. ”So what is this monster, eh?”

”None of us has actually seen it closely, but it is big and brown”, the old man said. “And when we have found some of the carcasses it has left behind, they have huge claw marks and even the bones are broken, some of them obviously by teeth. Every night when the monster appears we hear this eerie voice that echoes from the forest.”

“It’s horrible”, one of the villagers said terrified. “It’s like a howl but much deeper and somehow penetrating.”

“Penetrating?” Freed asked confused. “Like a high-pitched screech?”

“Not that, it’s more like… When you hear that voice you can almost feel how your biggest fear has taken a form somewhere and slowly but steadily coming towards you, no matter what. It’s just not normal! When you hear it, no matter how brave you are you will feel fear in your guts”, the villager explained and the others nodded vigorously.

“Maybe some kind of a spell that causes fear in those who hears it?” Ever muttered.

“Seems so”, Freed said. “Has anyone seen this monster during daytime?”

“No. It only appears at night”, the head of the village said.

“We understand. Then it’s for the best if we set our camp at the edge of the wood and wait for the dark.”

“Is there anything you need? We don’t have much to offer but perhaps at least something to eat?”

“That would be most kind, sir”, Freed smiled.

After that the three of them walked by the trail that lead across the fields to the forest.

“Looks like a normal old forest to me”, Bickslow said and his ‘babies’ hovered around, circling the trees and bushes.

“No monster!” they reported.

“Remember, when you hear that voice don’t let it shake you”, Freed said. “We don’t know what causes it but it’s just a voice that obviously has the power to drag out people’s fear. But if we know that, it can’t affect us that much.”

“It’s just some monster that uses it’s voice to avoid actual combat”, Bicks snickered. “We can handle it.”

“Did they say does it appear every night?” Ever asked.

“According to the mission sheet, no”, Freed huffed. “So it might be that we have to spend more than just one night here.”

“Boring”, ‘babies’ sighed.

“If you’re bored, then use your new skills and help us put up the camp”, Freed suggested.

It was more like a chaos when the five Tiki dolls tried their best to help put up the camp in their human forms.

“No, you can’t use water from just any pond you find”, Ever tried to explain to Pippi and Puppu who looked confused. Wasn’t water just water?

“You better go with them or we will end up getting sick all of us”, Freed chuckled. “Where’s the meat the villagers gave us?” Freed asked looking around. “Where did you put it?”

“We saw a hungry animal while collecting woods, it liked it”, Poppo said.

“What? You gave our dinner to some random animal?”

“It was hungry”, Pappa explained and Freed sighed.

“Don’t worry, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “They meant well. We’ll go fishing to the river, I’m sure we will get something.”

“You better if you don’t want to eat just vegetables”, Freed huffed.

“Let’s go then”, Bickslow cackled grabbing Poppo and Pappa with him.

That only left one behind and Freed turned to look at Peppe who was fascinated by cutlery. Sure, he knew what they were and what was their purpose but it was so different now that he could actually feel them. They were colder than he thought.

“So, the tent is up, Ever is taking care of the water and I’ll start cooking when Bickslow brings us the fish.”

“Why do you eat fish?” Peppe asked.

“So we can get the energy. People can’t live long if they don’t eat and drink.”

“Fish looks yucky.”

“If you’re hungry, you shouldn’t complain”, Freed stated and started to chop the vegetables.

“We don’t eat.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you guys don’t need to have good manners.”

“Do you like fish, Freed?”

“It really depends on what kind of a fish we are talking about…” Freed sneered.

 

It was starting to get dark around them, as they were sitting around the campfire.

“Something about this forest is really unsettling”, Bickslow muttered looking around.

“It’s just the shadows”, Freed said and he added more wood on the fire. “Don’t think too much about it or your imagination will take the best of you.”

“Who takes the first turn?” Ever asked. “It’s probably best that only one of us is sleeping at the time.”

“I can take first two turns”, Freed said. “I could also use my runes to cover the village, then I could stay awake and you two could sleep.”

“Don’t do that, baby”, Bickslow said. “It takes too much magic and energy. You’d be exhausted in the morning if the monster won’t show up. And what if it appears just before dawn and you won’t have enough magic?”

Freed sighed to himself.

“I guess you’re right”, he said. “So two stays awake and on guard while one sleeps?”

“Me and Freed can stay up now and Ever can sleep. Second turn I go to sleep, Ever stays up with Freed and in third turn Freed can sleep”, Bicks suggested.

“Alright”, Freed nodded. “I’m sorry I have been kind of… Bad-tempered today.”

“Try waspish”, Ever giggled. “It’s okay, sweetie. We understand. But it’s nice that you apologized.”

“Let’s try to enjoy camping while here”, Bickslow grinned. “We can do something in the morning, like explore this forest better.”


	41. Chapter 41

It was very early morning and Freed was sleeping as it was his turn to rest. Bickslow and Evergreen were keeping watch, looking at the old forest around their little camp. It was slowly starting to get brighter, but the shadows were still deep and there was a thick fog dancing between the trees. The air was cold, making them shiver from time to time.

“I wonder if that monster might appear tonight anymore”, Bickslow said with a loud yawn. He had put his helmet on the ground and his ‘babies’ were in deep sleep under his cape.

“It is starting to get brighter”, Ever nodded. “But we should stay on alert just in case. The villagers didn’t tell us in what times of the night the monster usually appeared. How did you get Freed go to sleep?”

“I told him he would either go to sleep, or I will scan his soul and dig up every kinky thing he has done with Laxus and reveal them to the entire Guild”, Bicks cackled. “Made that boy almost fly into the tent.”

“You’re awful”, Ever giggled. “Can you really see something like that?”

“Of course not”, Bickslow snorted. “I can only see some things, something that is so strong it leaves a mark in the soul and it’s not like I can see them clearly. But I can see how much you miss Elfman right now”, he chuckled and quickly dodged when the brunette tried to hit him. “Aww, you know it’s obvious, everyone can see it with their own eyes.”

“Stop looking into my soul”, Ever huffed crossing her arms.

“I can’t stop. When I look at someone, it’s like there are… Waves of colours. Or similar. It’s something I can’t turn off.”

“You’ve never said that.”

“There are lots of things I haven’t said. But no, don’t worry, I can’t see what you have done with Elfman”, Bickslow snickered. “I know you guys often wonder if I can do that.”

“Then why haven’t you said anything?” Ever asked adding more wood on the fire.

“It was more fun this way.”

“So why did you now suddenly reveal something like that?”

“Because of Freed”, Bicks said and Ever looked at him confused. “Something is off… I just can’t figure out what it is. There’s suddenly something different in his waves. A whole lot different, but I can’t see what it is. At least not if I can’t scan him properly and he wouldn’t let me do that. He’s too private.”

“Would it hurt to ask?” Ever asked. “If it bothers you. Could it be something bad?”

“I don’t know. My magic can’t tell if something is good or bad.”

Silence landed on the camp as they thought about it. Yes, they were really close and they would do anything for each other, but of course they also had things they preferred to keep as secrets from others. It was better that Bicks, Freed and Laxus didn’t know what all Ever did with Elfman and Ever certainly did not want to know what all Cana and Bicks did when together. They all still had their own lives and own things and it was a good thing not to share everything with others.

Bicks lifted his gaze to the dark clouds when he felt a raindrop on his face.

“Nice, now it starts raining”, he grumbled. “Like it wasn’t already cold enough out here.”

“We can make it through”, Ever chuckled. “You’re just cold sensitive.”

“Nobody _likes_ it when it’s cold”, Bicks frowned. “And it’s not like I’m always complaining when it’s cold.”

“Are you hearing what you’re saying? Every single autumn you turn into a whiny shivering little bundle when there are first cold days. Sure, you enjoy snow but in mornings like this you do nothing more than just complain about how damn cold it is”, Ever laughed.

“You ain’t better than me, baby”, Bicks tisked. “Oh, right, you do that whining only to make Elfman wrap those big arms around you and carry you to the warm bed -”

“Shut up, you blockhead!” Ever shouted grabbing her arms around Bickslow’s neck, making the seith mage laugh.

They both froze when suddenly low, mournful howl echoed through the forest. It was deep and just like the villagers had described, somehow eerie.

“It’s here”, Bicks whispered and they stood up. They heard another howl and it sounded like the cause of the voice was not that far from them. For a second they both were thinking was that a good thing they could soon confront the monster they had to find...

“It really is scary”, Ever trembled. “I don’t think I have never heard something like that.”

“Yeah, me neither”, the blue haired mage nodded and he woke up his ‘babies’. “Be quiet”, he said to them.

“We’re scared”, they whispered.

“That’s okay. It’s just some magic or something. Baby, wake up Freed, I’ll go see where it comes from”, Bicks said to Ever.

“But don’t go far alone”, Ever said and she quickly went to the tent.

Bickslow took his helmet, put it on his head and ran towards the howl. He had to cross the small river and climb up a little cliff but he finally found the creature that was causing the blood freezing cry.

It was a big being with brown, slightly greenish thick fur that was dripping water right now. It had six legs, all equipped with long, sharp claws and a tail it dragged heavily along. For Bickslow it seemed a little bit like a really,  _really_ ugly otter. ‘Babies’ hid behind him when the large head was lifted, big snout took couple of large sniffs and then the loud howl filled the air again.

“Shit”, Bicks muttered to himself. That thing was huge. It looked clumsy and slow, but when it’s paws hit the ground, the seith mage felt how the ground shook.

He heard the steps and looked at Freed and Ever, quickly motioning them to be quiet. They approached silently and both felt shivers when they saw the creature.

“What is that?” Ever asked grabbing Freed’s hand.

“Suo-kaapu”, Freed said. “They are big animals that live in swamps. They are not necessarily dangerous to people but you can guess it is better not to stand in their way. They have tiny eyes and they don’t see well but they have a good sense of smell. I’m sure it knows we are here, it just doesn’t care about us. It has a skin thick enough so even my rapier can’t hurt it.”

“So that is our monster, huh?” Bicks said looking how the suo-kaapu slowly sauntered ahead, clearly towards the village.

“It fits what the villagers told us and it is an omnivore animal, so it will eat meat if it catches it. Mostly it eats animals that got stuck in the swamp.”

“One more reason for me why I hate swamps”, Ever huffed. “Something that big must need a big swamp where to live.”

“That’s why this is so odd”, Freed muttered frowning. “Why is it here? There might be some little swamps somewhere near here but not the kinds those animals prefer as their habitats.”

“Maybe it’s trying to find a new place where to settle?” Bicks suggested. “You know, animals do that right? They sometimes travel in some odd places ‘cause they were trying to find new areas where to live.”

“That is quite possible. But we have to do something or it will eat all the animals from the village. It has obviously learned that the village’s animals are an easy source of meat. And it is not good for it to stay here in a tiny swamp, it will freeze come winter.”

“So what can we do?” Ever asked. “It’s not like we can just tell it what to do. I’m pretty sure it won’t listen to our kind suggestions to move.”

“That’s what I hate the most about this situation”, Freed sighed. “It is too big and it still is a danger to the village and causing damage for them. We can’t just move it ourselves and it won’t do it itself and the species is not endangered. We have to kill it before it might actually attack the villagers. Winter is coming, it is harder to find food, maybe it’s home will freeze to the point where it can’t live there anymore and then it really would get desperate… It would probably die in the winter anyway.”

“Guess we have no choice then”, Bicks huffed. “Though it is sad.”

“We can just do our best that maybe the villagers could use everything. The skin, claws, meat, all of it so it won’t be a total waste.”

“So how are we going to kill it?” Ever asked as they carefully started to approach the big animal who still didn’t care what they were doing. The smell of rotting plants on it’s fur was strong and disgusting.

“We need powerful attacks, normal attacks won’t affect it”, Freed said. “If we can somehow roll it over, we can target the soft spot in it’s stomach.”

So they scattered around the suo-kaapu. It stopped when it noticed Evergreen who was standing on it’s way.

“Be careful”, Freed said as he stepped closer to the animal from it’s left and Bickslow from the right.

They got ready when Ever lifted her hands and yellow orbs appeared. She created as many as she could and used them to blind the suo-kaapu, that was now confused and shaking his head as it couldn’t see the lights, but the brightness was burning it’s eyes. Freed muttered something and hoisted up a runewall in front of Ever just in case if the big creature suddenly decided to rush through.

“Let’s try to get it back up in the forest”, Freed said and Ever stepped closer, making her little fairies to fly closer to the swamp beast.

Suddenly the creature slowly got up to stand on two feet and it let out a large growl. Then it let out a loud roar and Freed covered his ears quickly but it still felt like someone was pounding his head with a hammer. Voice really felt like it penetrated in his skull and body.

“Ever!” he heard Bicks’ shout and he looked at the brunette. Ever didn’t seem to be visibly injured but it was obvious she was struggling to even stand. Some of the yellow orbs disappeared.

“It’s voice can affect the concentration and the balance”, Freed realised. “And obviously it rises hormones that cause panic. That’s why everyone was feeling scared when they heard the howl.”

“We must take it further away from Ever. She can use her lights so that beast might think there is a fire in the forest so it won’t go that way but we must lure it deeper in to the forest”, Bicks said. “Line formation!” he ordered and ‘babies’ clicked themselves together.

The suo-kaapu let out another cry as it was hit in the back by the green flash. Freed used this moment and swished his rapier, making the purple runes hit the creature.

“It’s starting to get angry”, Bicks smirked as the suo-kaapu turned it’s head towards them. “We better run.”

“And fast, did I remember to tell you those creatures can run fast for a short distance?” Freed said as the suo-kaapu growled and set back to it’s six feet.

“Then it’s good we can fly”, Bickslow cackled and he hopped on top of his ‘babies’ that were linked together. Freed wrote quick runes and purple wings appeared on his back. “Yeah! Catch us if you can, you furry swamp octopus!” Bickslow taunted and they flew further from the beast who roared and as it saw them as escaping prey, it ran after them.

“Watch out for the swamp, let’s keep it in the area where it can’t have the advantage of the surroundings”, Freed said and they flew by the large old trees. They could hear the heavy steps as the monster kept chasing after them and it was surprisingly agile even though the ground of the forest was hard to run on.

As Freed made a turn to left he felt something was terribly wrong. His other wing suddenly started flickering and he prepared himself as he smacked right against the tree. The impact was strong and left him out of breath as he stumbled to the ground. He would definitely feel that at least a week in his back...

Quickly he looked around but couldn’t see Bickslow. Though, he heard snarling and the big furry beast appeared. It immediately noticed that Freed was now easier to catch for it. The rune mage gritted his teeth and swished his rapier but was left with confusion and dismay as the only thing he could make come out was some random runes that could do nothing. They disappeared almost instantly and that seemed to convince the creature that it’s prey was now also defenseless.

Freed turned around and he stumbled in between the large roots and escaped as far as he could against the big tree. He inhaled sharply when it felt like the whole tree was shaking when the strong paws attacked roots, claws destroying them from their way. He looked around in the darkness and started to move quickly to the left, moving aside old branches, dirt and god only knows what but he didn’t care.

Heart racing like a maniac, the swordsman did his best to get away, but the suo-kaapu suddenly stopped, sniffed the air and moved. Freed fell from his feet when the roots almost right next to him crashed in and he looked with fear how the big claws were only inches away from his face. Warm breath flushed over him making him gag. It was horrible!

“Hey! Swamp beast!” he suddenly heard Bickslow’s angry shout and he covered his ears when the beast let out a cry as it was hit with the seith mages magic.

Freed could finally breath at least a little bit when the suo-kaapu retreated from between the roots. He quickly stood up and looked around but the impact had caused his escape route to close.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on and how you captured Freed there but I won’t let you mess with our captain!” Bickslow snarled and Freed managed to see something between the roots.

The suo-kaapu seemed confused, looking at the six figures surrounding it.

“Bicks, watch out for it’s roar!” Freed yelled and tried to write new runes. But the patterns died almost instantly in the air as quickly as he wrote them and he cursed. Was it because of the suo-kaapu?

“Yeah, I know”, Bicks said. “Right now it’s enough if we can get it to run away.”

“We’ll handle this!” the Tiki dolls in their human forms said.

Freed tried to look around more as Bickslow and ‘babies’ were keeping the monster occupied. He took his rapier and hit the tinier roots, clearing more of them out of his way so he could keep pushing forwards. He was worried. Evergreen was making sure the suo-kaapu wouldn’t come out of the forest, Bickslow was fighting with it and what was he doing? Trapped here unable to use his magic for nothing!

“Shit!” he yelled and kicked heavily at one of the roots, able to finally break it so he could get out from the further side of the tree, out of the immediate danger. “Bickslow!” he shouted panting. “Leave it! It’s better to -!”

His eyes widened when three of the Tiki dolls crashed on the ground near him. All transformed back to their usual forms and didn’t move at all. Quickly he looked back at Bickslow who was still keeping his ground with Pippi and Poppo.

“Bickslow, use them to fly away!” Freed yelled his command. There was no way they both could escape with only Pippi and Poppo, but he was now far enough, he could at least try to climb in a tree or something.

His shouting also made the suo-kaapu notice him again. Freed frowned and held tight his rapier. No matter what would happen, he would not let that beast attack Bickslow! He took a step back as if trying to run and that made the heavily snorting beast go back to it’s hunting mode

”No you won’t!” Bicks suddenly barked and he grabbed a long stick from the ground, used his agility to grab on the thick fur and the suo-kaapu stopped enraged as someone was suddenly riding it.

”Let go!” Freed ordered startled. What was that maniac doing?!

”Sniff this you bitch”, the seith mage growled as he managed to hold on to the beast’s neck and with as much force as he could possibly use he sunk the stick at the suo-kaapu’s other nostril.

Freed felt shivers and the ground grumbled as the greenish-brown monster shrieked out in pain and anger. Bickslow fell off and quickly rolled away from the legs that stampeded the ground making the rocks shatter.

Freed could hardly believe it. Did Bickslow just really ride that thing and sink a stick in it’s nose?

“Get away!” he yelled when he finally snapped back to the moment. “Bicks-“

His voice stopped. Everything stoppe d. For a second that felt like an eternity he saw a large paw with sharp claws and just like that, Bickslow was swished away in the air like a ragdoll. Freed felt how his legs almost turned jelly under him, his breath had stopped and he couldn’t move a muscle as Bickslow landed in the ground not moving. The Tiki dolls were laying on the ground around the battlefield.

“Bicks…” Freed finally managed to whimper, hands shaking and he let go of the rapier. Even if he didn’t want to believe it he knew that hit was seriously bad. He didn’t even need to see the broken helmet that was on the ground next to the blue haired mage.

The suo-kaapu looked at the Greenette but decided it was enough for it to only have one catch.

‘ _We can help._ ’

“W-what?!” Freed cried out loud looking around as he heard the voice.

‘ _We don’t know if he’s alive, but soon he won’t be if we won’t stop that beast._ ’

Freed looked at the suo-kaapu that was slowly moving towards Bickslow. No! He needed to stop it!

‘ _We can help, you rest, Freed._ ’

“V-Valdeghar?” Freed said.

‘ _You thought you’re starting to hear some other voices?_ ’

“I don’t have time for this! I need to do something!” Freed shouted and he grabbed his rapier again.

‘ _You can’t help, your magic is too unstable now. We do this, let us out, Freed._ ’

Freed froze for a moment. Let Valdeghar out? To be in charge?

‘ _Freed, there is no time._ ’

What should he do?! In years he hadn’t let Valdeghar in charge! 

‘ _You can’t control magic but we can, if we control the body. We can use other magic. Magic from your mate._ ’

“L-Laxus?” Free stuttered.

‘ _We know there is magic from him and it reacts when there is danger where you might die. We can use that magic and attack._ ’

Magic from Laxus… Yes, didn’t Levy and Lucy mention something like that when the mating season was still on? Something that it was possible for the mate to have some of their dragon slayer’s power?

‘ _We don’t have time for the recollections. We must act now!_ ’ Valdeghar’s voice said and Freed looked at Bickslow. ‘ _Didn’t you say we are reliable?_ ’

Freed sighed and gave in, closing his eyes. Change happened in seconds, as he was feeling like falling asleep.

 

The suo-kaapu was trying it’s best to get rid of the stick in it’s nose, approaching the prey it had slayed and what it was going to eat that night. But it stopped immediately when suddenly in front of it there was tall new figure with long green hair and strong posture. Obviously that creature was dangerous.

“We won’t let you continue”, Valdeghar said with low, husky voice.

Another loud roar was let out when the beast stood up again on two legs.

“Then we shall fight”, Valdeghar chuckled and he lifted his hands. Shadows appeared and there was something crackling deep inside them. “Dark Écriture: Lightning dragon’s shadow.”

 

Evergreen was still standing at the edge of the woods and her fairies danced around and brightened the gloomy morning. The rain clouds were so dark it was hard to believe it was morning already.

She was really worried. Some moments ago there were still lots of noises coming from the forest, then a moment of silence and another roar that made her fear worse. But then there was again one loud noise, this time louder than any other voices before and the ground was shaking. She could see that trees had been crashed down by something really powerful.

Then there was nothing.

She stayed at her place another while before she finally started to move. She had to know if everything was alright. But she couldn’t get far when she noticed something moving in the shadows.

“Freed!” Ever cried out relieved. He recognized the large form of Absolute Shadow.

But she stood still when she realized he was carrying someone. She felt like her guts turn into ice when she noticed it was Bickslow.

“Freed?! What happened?!” she shouted running towards them quickly.

When Freed didn’t answer she stopped, now terrified. Was something… Wait…

“You are not Freed”, Ever whispered when she realized what was wrong. She couldn’t explain why she knew it, there was just something really different of this demon.

“We are not”, Valdeghar nodded. “Our name is Valdeghar.”

“You’re… Absolute Shadow? Itself?”

“We like the name Valdeghar.”

Ever looked back at Bickslow in the demon’s arms. There was so much blood…

“Is he…?”

“He’s breathing. Just barely.”

“Can you carry him to the camp? You’re not planning to attack or something?” Ever asked suspiciously.

“We can and we are not. We carry him there and then we will return”, Valdeghar said and he started to walk towards their camp. Ever quickly ran after him, as the demon was walking faster with his longer legs.

They arrived at the camp and Ever arranged their blankets better so Valdeghar could gently lay the seith mage down.

“This is horrible...” Ever muttered and did her best so her hands wouldn’t tremble so badly as she opened the first aid kit. “I’m not sure if we can treat him good enough here.”

“We must return now”, Valdeghar said straightening himself again. “I wish you good luck with him”, he said.

 

Freed suddenly woke up and he dropped on his knees right away. He had to bend over leaning against the ground with his hands as he threw up instantly. His whole body trembled and his mind was still in confusion from waking up so suddenly, he couldn’t concentrate in anything else but the strong nausea he was feeling right now.

After a moment it finally started to calm down and he breathed weakly, trying to gather himself together. He moved some of the tangled green wet hair from his face and looked around. He was back at the camp. He didn’t remember a thing what happened after he had let Valdeghar in charge.

“Freed?” he heard Ever’s worried voice from the tent and he grunted as he could hardly find enough strength to get back on his feet.

“Ever? What happened?” he asked walking to the tent.

“You’re back, that’s good”, Ever said relieved. “But this is serious, we need more clean water and you need to find some of the herbs for us”, she quickly said.

“Leave it to me”, Freed said wiping his face and he started to gather woods they had managed to keep dry and relighted the fire pit. Then he grabbed the pot and hurried towards the river.

 

 


	42. Chapter 42

It took them long past noon before they felt it was safe enough so they could move Bickslow to have better treatment. Freed had gone and collected the Tiki dolls and the helmet, looking at the destruction Valdeghar had caused. There was only some limbs left of the suo-kaapu and rest of it was blown away somewhere in the forest. The terrain in the battlefield looked like there had been massive destruction, trees torn down and the ground had a deep line and even the big rocks were shattered to pieces. But the forest would soon take back this place and there would be new plants and trees in no time at all.

The villagers lent them a cart and helped to move Bickslow to the train station. There they thanked them, Freed and Ever refused to take the reward and then they started their journey back home in the cabin where they had a bed for Bickslow.

“I called for Elfman”, Ever said as she stepped back inside. “He comes with Wendy to the train station and helps us to carry Bicks to the Guild’s infirmary. Wendy wanted to see right away how bad the condition is.”

“That’s good”, Freed muttered looking at their old friend, who they had patched up as good as they could.

“If Wendy can’t help him, we will go fetch Porlyusica”, Ever said sitting next to Freed. “He will be fine.” But it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself instead of Freed.

“Yeah, Bicks is strong”, Freed reassured pulling his hand around Ever’s shoulder, feeling how she trembled still. “Don’t worry, we will make sure he will survive.”

“I know...” Ever sniffled leaning her head against Freed’s shoulder.

It felt like the train would never arrive but finally they stopped. With Ever’s help Freed managed to carry Bickslow out and they saw Wendy and Elfman, who ran towards them.

“This looks bad”, Wendy said worried as Elfman took the seith mage. “We must hurry.”

For the first time Freed was thinking that their Guild house was definitely too far from the train station, but they just needed to walk faster. Finally they were sitting in the hallway, while Wendy was in the infirmary taking care of Bickslow and they could do nothing more than just wait. They were exhausted and worried sick, but they believed in Wendy. She could definitely help Bicks.

“Do you think he might have scars?” Ever finally broke the tension. “Those wounds were pretty deep.”

“Scars are manly”, Elfman grinned. “He will be fine.”

“Yes, I don’t think couple of scars will break his spirit”, Freed said and he took out his bag.

He put the five Tiki dolls on the table, where they lay silent and unmoving. It was odd and really sad, since they were used to seeing them always flying around and blabbering something. The swordsman ran his slender fingers at the wooden surface of one of the dolls, where there was one deep scratch caused by the suo-kaapu’s attack. But the ‘babies’ had suffered similar damages before, Bickslow would figure out how to fix them.

“He will survive”, Freed said once again. “Wendy will do her best.”

“Yeah, don’t you guys worry”, Elfman smiled. “She has healed wounds even nastier. And Bickslow is a strong man, he will overcome this!”

“Yes”, Ever smiled with a small chuckle.

Clock kept ticking on and they just sat there and waited. It was really excruciating, they had no idea how the situation was. Suddenly they heard steps from the stairs and stood up, looking at Porlyusica who appeared at the hallway.

“Wendy sent me a word”, she said. “Is she there?”

“Yes. Did she tell you what is going on?” Freed said.

“Only that she needed me to come help her with Bickslow. Apparently he was attacked by some big monster.”

“Um, yes”, Freed nodded and he felt so much quilt it was hurting. “We just hope the situation is not as bad as we fear.”

“It’s not, Wendy said his life is not in danger”, Porlyusica said and they all looked at her, eyes widened and relieved. “But we have to do our best so we can keep the damages as minimum as possible. It might take time so go rest, I can see you two are ready to collapse at any minute”, she just said and opened the door to the infirmary.

Freed and Ever both sighed with relief. Bickslow would survive!

“I wonder what damages she meant”, Ever said as they stepped on the stairway. “I hope it’s not something serious...”

“We can do nothing more right now, we have to leave Bickslow to Wendy and Porlyusica”, Freed said. “If you want, I can stay here and wait for the news, you can go home with Elfman and sleep”, he promised.

“No, you need some rest too”, Ever said. “I can stay.”

“You know, what if I stay?” Elfman interrupted. “You guys go home and sleep, I will stay and wait what will happen and come tell you guys immediately when I hear something.”

“Would you do that, dear?” Ever smiled.

“Of course, real men do whatever they can to help!” Elfman laughed flexing.

“We are grateful of your help, Elfman”, Freed chuckled.

They were halfway through the Guild Hall when doors opened. Cana stepped in looking worried and surprisingly sober. She hurried towards them when she saw them.

“Where is he?” she quickly asked from them. “Is he okay? I just heard that Bicks was brought here with injuries.”

“Yes, but he will survive”, Freed reassured. “Porlyusica and Wendy are both there.”

“Both? Why both?” Cana asked. “Is it really serious?”

“We… Don’t know yet”, Ever sighed looking at the ground. “We only know that he will survive.”

“What kind of damages he had?”

“He was hit in the head and torso”, Freed said and Cana’s eyes widened with fear.

“So it might be something really serious?” she whispered.

“It is always possible”, Freed nodded. “But Wendy and Porlyusica will do their best so the damage is kept in minimum. They are the best healers we know, Bickslow will be alright.”

“What on earth happened?” Cana demanded to know. “How did he get injuries like that?”

Ever looked at Freed who said nothing. The rune mage had yet said nothing to her either of what had happened.

“It was my fault”, Freed finally mumbled. “I was careless and he had to pay for it.”

“I’m sure it’s not like that”, Ever said.

“It is exactly as I said it. Bickslow had to save me and that’s why he is now lying there on the infirmary’s bed. I’m so sorry, Cana”, Freed said looking at the dark haired woman.

He didn’t even try to dodge or move away when he saw what was coming. He deserved it. He just took the hit and gritted his teeth as he broke the table when falling. His back was still aching from the hit on the tree in the forest and this was not helping it. But he deserved it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the fucking captain?!” Cana yelled furiously. “How could you let things go like this?!”

“I know, I let him down”, Freed said wiping some blood from his chin. “I failed to keep him safe.”

“Damn right you did!” Cana snarled grabbing the Greenette’s collar with her shaking hands. “Why didn’t you help him?!”

“Because I couldn’t use magic”, Freed confessed. “I could do nothing.”

“Don’t look at me with those sad quilty eyes! I’m gonna fucking hit your ass to the moon, you son of a bitch!” Cana shouted hitting Freed’s face again with her fist and it was making her even more furious when the rune mage wasn’t even trying to fight back.

“Cana, Freed would never let Bickslow get hurt like that if he could do something”, Ever said quickly grabbing Cana’s hand before she could strike again.

“If Bickslow have suffered some serious damage, I swear to god I will…” Cana’s voice cracked finally and she sniffled hard, her shoulders trembling.

“I know Cana”, Freed said patting her head gently as she leaned against his chest now crying. “If you want to hit me or whatever, I won’t judge you. I want to kick myself too.”

“Cana, we will do everything we can so Bickslow will recover well”, Ever promised helping her friend back to her feet and sitting down on the chair. Freed stood up also and noticed that others were staring at them. They all looked worried and he couldn’t blame them.

Shortly after that, when Cana was finally calm enough, they finally left with Ever. Rain was pouring still hard and usually Freed would use his runes to prevent them to get soaked but not this time. Maybe he was scared to use his magic, he wasn’t sure if it would yet work… He just lend his coat to Ever so she wouldn’t get cold.

“So what did happen?” Ever finally asked, making Freed sigh.

“I’m not sure myself...” he said and he told her what all happened. How suddenly his magic just refused to work and how Bickslow had to safe him. He was feeling so quilty because all what happened.

They stepped in the house and put their clothes to dry.

“It was a good thing that Valdeghar helped out”, brunette said stepping out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel.

“Yes. Without him, I don’t know what could have happened”, Freed nodded. “I have no idea what he did but he sure did blow that monster away like a tiny little insect.”

“Well, he used Laxus’ power so what did you expect?” Ever chuckled. “Do you need something cool to your chin?”

“It’s okay, Ever. I can handle it.”

“Cana was really angry but don’t take it personally, she just got really scared.”

“I know. And I know that hit was justified.”

“Don’t say that...” Ever sighed and she sat down beside Freed. “I know you’re feeling quilt of what happened but it’s not your fault. You couldn’t help it. I felt myself how strongly that roar affected my concentration.”

“I’m not entirely sure if it happened because of that”, Freed confessed. “But I don’t know what else might have caused that.”

Ever huffed and thought what Bicks had said before. Should she mention it to Freed? Would it make the rune mage even more worried?

“After Bickslow is feeling better, maybe you should ask Wendy to check you? Just in case?” she suggested.

“Maybe…” Freed said. He should first try if his magic would work after a good rest. “I’m going to bed”, the swordsman said and stood up.

“You don’t want some tea?” Ever asked.

“No, I really feel like I need some sleep.”

“Alright.”

Freed stepped up the stairs and opened the door to his room. It was neatly arranged and full of bookshelves that were bursting with books. Some of them were piled on his desk and nightstand. He just closed the door, took of his still damp clothes and dropped on the bed. He barely managed to pull blanket over him when he was already in sleep.

 

Freed fluttered his eyes open and looked around in his room. It was dark, lacking colours and it felt like the shadows were wavering making him sick. He saw two dim eyes peeking behind the farthest bookshelf.

“Good evening, Valdeghar”, he said.

‘ _Hello, Freed_ ’, Valdeghar said. ‘ _You look tired._ ’

“That’s because I am tired”, Freed said. “But it’s good that you’re here. We are really grateful of your help earlier”, he smiled.

‘ _Oh, it was nothing_ ’, Valdeghar smirked. ‘We _noticed your friend is still alive, that’s good._ ’

“Yes, Wendy and Porlyusica are still treating him but he will survive.”

Freed grunted a little and moved himself so he could lean against the headboard.

“So why did you suddenly decide to help us that way?” he asked. “I don’t remember you doing something like that before.”

‘ _We all have our little impulses from time to time_ ’, Valdeghar shrugged. ‘ _And we like your friend, he is a really amusing fella_.’

“He is”, Freed chuckled. “It’s good to hear you like my friends. Too bad that you can’t talk with them yourself.”

‘ _That is probably for the best. Your friend Evergreen was scared of us when she realised we weren’t you_.’

“She just got surprised.”

‘ _We told her our name._ ’

“That’s really nice. So you have decided to keep it?”

‘ _At least for a while now. When will your mate return?_ ’

“Laxus? If everything goes well, maybe in six weeks”, Freed said. “Why so? Are you worried about him?” he smirked and looked how the shadows shifted and curled as if they were embarrassed.

‘ _We are just curious_ ’, Valdeghar muttered. ‘ _You should have stayed with him._ ’

“I still don’t understand why you’re saying that, but he had to go.”

‘ _Your magic is too unstable, you can’t defend yourself with it. The Lord will make his move when he finds the right moment._ ’

“About this Lord… Do I know him?” Freed asked suspiciously.

‘ _..._ ’

“So you are talking about my grandfather. I haven’t heard of him since I left to join Fairy Tail. Well… I did have a dream where I was talking with him when we were in the mansion.”

‘ _It was no dream, Freed. He used our brother Moranga to reach your dream and talk with you._ ’

“Really? That’s surprising… I didn’t know he can do something like that. He has never even told me what magic he uses”, Freed said shaking his head. “I have no idea what he can do. He always said that a mage should not use his magic if there is no good reason for it, otherwise it would just be mindless bragging.”

‘ _He is a strong man who bows to no-one._ ’

“And stubborn. What does he want?” Freed asked and looked at the shadows, as Valdeghar stayed silent. “Let me guess, you can’t say?” he huffed.

‘ _We are not allowed to reveal things you have to find out yourself. It’s the rule in the Zaldevil family’s old contract._ ’

“I know, I’m sorry. I sometimes tend to forget that there are another contract than just the one we have. Has my grandfather taken any contact with you?” Freed asked. As the Lord of the family his grandfather had at least somekind of a control to every demon in their family, even though he couldn’t take over Valdeghar from him.

‘ _He has not_.’

“That’s good. But if he does, please let me know. I don’t like it how he’s planning something.”

‘ _We will tell you._ ’

“Thank you, Valdeghar”, Freed smiled. “I think I might continue my normal sleep now.”

‘ _Alright. We will go back to sleep too_.’

“Good night, Valdeghar”, Freed smiled closing his eyes.

 


	43. Chapter 43

When Freed woke up, he was feeling horrible. He was still feeling tired and stuffy, moving the tangled green hair away from his face. He squinted his eyes and looked at the clock on his night stand. 9 o’clock? He had actually slept through the evening and night, all the way to the late morning? He groaned and forced himself to sit up. Ugh, he really needed a shower… Sleeping this much was not a good thing.

After he finally got on his feet he stumbled to find his morning gown, wrapping it around him. Then he took his towel and other supplies he needed and stepped in the hallway. After the shower he should do some breakfast, his stomach was growling it’s demands to have something.

Freed spent good amount of time to untangle his hair. He showered and cleaned himself, drying himself and putting clothes on. He was just about to start making some tea when the doorbell rang.

He opened the door and got surprised.

“Good morning, Levy”, he said.

“Good morning, Freed”, Levy smiled. “I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Of course not”, Freed said and let her in.

“I have actually news for you”, Levy said taking her shoes off. “It’s about Bickslow.”

“How is he?” Freed asked quickly. “Is everything okay? I woke up just moments ago and I thought about going to the Guild after the breakfast.”

“Everything is okay”, Levy reassured smiling. “He’s doing good. He’s still sleeping but Wendy said that he will recover nicely. He should wake up today.”

“That is good news”, Freed smiled relieved. “Really good news. Was Ever at the Guild?”

“Yes. She told me to come tell you. And… Well, I had something else I wanted to discuss with you also”, Levy muttered fiddling with her fingers nervously. “But I understand if you need to hurry to the Guild.”

“I still need to make and eat my breakfast”, Freed smiled and he put the kettle on the stove. “So we can talk. How can I help you?” he asked and took out the ingredients for the pancake batter.

“Um… Well… It is… Kinda embarrassing to talk about this”, Levy said blushing deeply. “It’s about Gajeel and… And what we have done together...”

“Oh”, Freed said. “Well… Wouldn’t it be easier to talk with Lucy about that?” he asked. “You two talk about everything together.”

“I would, but… I don’t know, somehow I feel like I don’t know how to talk with her about this...” Levy murmured, her face burning red. “Maybe, in a some way it’s because we are too close… Not that we are not good friends, Freed, but… I hope you understand.”

“Don’t worry, I understand”, Freed smiled while mixing the batter. “Sometimes there are subjects that are harder to speak the closer is the person you’re talking to.”

“Y-yes… But I know I really have to talk about this to someone and you’re always so calm and rational, s-so...”

“I’m happy that you came to me if there is anything I can do to make you feel better”, Freed smiled and he put down the bowl when the kettle started to whistle.

He took out cups from the cupboard and poured some tea for Levy.

“Thank you”, the script mage smiled. “I’m glad that you’re willing to hear me out.”

“Just remember to not force yourself to talk about it if you don’t feel comfortable”, Freed said.

“No, I have to”, Levy said staring at the cup. “Because… Because… I think I might be pregnant”, she blurted, face bright red and made Freed to freeze.

“You are?” he asked blinking.

“I don’t know yet, I might be wrong”, Levy said quickly and for a moment there was silence.

Freed sat down in front of the blue haired girl.

“How are you feeling about it?” he asked softly. “Is it a good thing?”

“I-I… Um… Yes, I think it is”, Levy stuttered and smiled. “It’s just really… Sudden.”

“If it’s a good thing then I’m really happy for you”, Freed smiled. “Gajeel will be overjoyed. Have you told about this to anyone else yet?” he asked.

”Not yet”, Levy confessed. ”I'm not sure about this yet.”

“Well, I’m happy that you feel I’m trustworthy enough to hear news like this first”, Freed smiled. “And I will help you any way I can, I promise.”

“Thank you, Freed”, Levy said looking at the rune mage. “I knew you would help. And since you are also dating a dragon slayer we know how they can be and we can together try to figure out what all their magic can do.”

“What do you mean?”

“We were really careful”, Levy explained. “Yet still this happened. Was it just our luck or was it because of the dragon slayer magic? Porlyusica warned that who knows what might happen.”

“So you’re suggesting that the magic is making sure that there will be offspring?” Freed said. That was bizarre. Not necessarily impossible but bizarre.

“Who knows”, Levy sighed.

”Maybe you should go see Porlyusica?” Freed suggested and stood up, starting to make the pancakes.

”I guess... But what if I'm wrong?”

”That is always a possibility but isn't it better to know than guess?”

”You're right...”

”It can be scary but you will feel better after it”, Freed promised. ”No matter what the answer is. Do you want me to come with you to see Porlyusica?”

”If that’s not too much to ask”, Levy said with a relieved smile, making Freed chuckle.

“Of course I will accompany you”, he said. “It would be my pleasure. Maybe she is at the Guild? We should probably go there first.”

“You’re right”, Levy nodded.

 

After the breakfast they headed to the Guild. Freed was starting to finally wake up properly when they arrived.

“I will go see Bickslow first”, he said to Levy who nodded and he headed to the stairs.

He knocked the door softly and stepped in, looking around. He smiled when he saw Evergreen who was sleeping with Cana on the couch. He took a blanket from the other bed and wrapped it around them, then he turned to see Bickslow.

The seith mage was still sleeping. He had still bandages around his head and torso, so more healing was needed before he would be alright. But at least he was snoring loudly what made Freed laugh silently. Now he was finally convinced that everything would be alright.

For a moment he just stood there next to the bed, when he finally turned towards the door. It was better to leave those three sleep in peace. And he promised to Levy that he would go see Porlyusica with her.

Levy was already waiting in the hallway, talking with Wendy.

“Good morning, Wendy”, Freed smiled.

“Good morning, Freed”, Wendy said happily.

“Bickslow is looking much better.”

“Yes, now he just needs lots of rest. I will keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you so much for everything, Wendy”, Freed said. “I don’t know how we would survive without you.”

“T-thank you, Freed”, Wendy stuttered, blushing because of so big compliments. “Porlyusica helped a lot, of course.”

“I will thank her too”, Freed smiled. “And talking about Porlyusica, do you know where she is?”

“Yes, she is actually here at the Guild”, Wendy said. “She is there in that next room, making some notes in her book.”

“That is good, thank you. Levy, shall we go then?” Freed asked looking at the blue haired girl who looked now really nervous. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

“N-no… We should”, Levy said and Wendy looked confused what was going on. Freed nodded and walked over to the next door, knocking it. He heard somekind of a grunt and opened the door.

“Good morning, Porl-”

“What do you want?” the pink haired woman asked while assembling her papers on the desk.

“I hope we’re not disturbing you too much”, Freed said. “But it’s actually Levy who wants to talk with you.”

Porlyusica lifted her gaze, looking at the door where Levy and Freed were standing.

“And why are you here then?” she asked.

“I only came to help her feel a little bit more relaxed, I won’t interrupt your conversation.”

“Then go sit in the hallway, I don’t need you”, Porlyusica said. “And you, come here and close that door”, she ordered Levy, who quickly closed the door in front of Freed.

He huffed and looked around. Wendy had left already and the hallway was empty and silent. He only heard Bicks’ snoring through the other door. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He really hoped that Levy would get the answer she wanted, no matter what it was she wanted to hear.

After a while the door finally opened again and Freed opened his eyes. Levy stepped out with Porlyusica.

“I will call you soon”, she said. “You, inside”, she said pointing at Freed who got confused.

“Me? But I didn’t -”

“I said inside, are you deaf?” the old healer snapped and Freed looked at Levy who was gazing at the floor and he couldn’t say what she was thinking.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his other lightning bolt cowlick in their tight grasp and pulled him forwards.

“Ow, ow, I will come”, he assured quickly following Porlyusica in the room.

Freed slightly rubbed his scalp when Porlyusica let go finally.

“So is there something wrong with Levy?” he asked worried.

“We’ll talk about that later, take off your coat and shirt”, she ordered and Freed sighed, doing what was told. Then he sat down on the chair and he jolted when Porlyusica put her cold hand on his mark in his neck. “The magic is strong”, she muttered. “That’s good.”

“I did have some troubles with my magic earlier”, Freed said.

“I was talking about Laxus’ magic. What problems did you have?”

“My magic refused to work how I wanted. I couldn’t use any spells.”

“How have you been feeling lately?”

“Hmm… A little bit sick, I guess?”

“Now that Laxus is away, have you missed him?”

“Of course”, Freed said immediately.

“I mean more than normally?” Porlyusica pointed out.

“I’m not sure, maybe?”

“And anything else?”

“I have slept more than normally.”

“Good. Well, it seems I have the information I need”, Porlyusica said and let go of Freed’s mark. “You can put your clothes back on”, she said and Freed grabbed his shirt.

He buttoned up his coat and Porlyusica called Levy in the room.

“It was a good thing you came to see me”, the pink haired old mage said, when Levy sat down next to Freed. “There are news. It seems you both have successfully managed to continue the line of the dragon slayer’s, congratulations.”

There was a long silence in the room, as they were staring at Porlyusica who didn’t care about their confused looks and just wrote something in her book.

“Both?” Freed finally blurted out. “Both? What do you mean both?”

“I meant what I said. It seems you’re both pregnant”, Porlyusica said, not even rising her gaze from the book.

“How is that in any logical way possible?” Freed asked and suddenly his hands were trembling.

“Don’t tell me you need to be educated what will happen if -”

“It just doesn’t make sense!” Freed stuttered. “I understand Levy, she’s a girl! It doesn’t work that way with two men, everybody knows that!”

“It seems that this magic doesn’t care about genders”, Porlyusica said irritated, finally lifting her gaze. “It makes sense if you think about it a moment. This magic is old and with it’s powers it makes sure that the dragon slayer’s won’t vanish from the earth. I don’t know if this happens along the dragons also, but I could guess that’s highly possible. It is a way of survival. But I’m pretty sure it only works between soulmates since there must be a strong link between the mates to make something like this happen.”

“But… I just…” Freed stammered eyes widened.

“It’s alright, Freed”, Levy assured grabbing his hand. “It is good news, right?” she smiled encouragingly, making Freed blink. “Think about Laxus, what would he say? Wouldn’t he be happy?”

“I… I don’t know...” Freed muttered. “We have never talked about something like this. Of course we didn’t, something like this is insane.”

“Think whatever you want, you’re still pregnant”, Porlyusica said.

“You say it so casually, for a moment I almost forgot how absurd this is...” Freed mumbled.

“Whatever, but here’s what we are going to do next”, Porlyusica said closing her book. “You two will come see me regularly, once every two weeks. I will personally keep an eye on you two how everything goes, since dragon slayer magic is involved.”

“That’s really kind, thank you”, Levy smiled still gently rubbing Freed’s trembling hand.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m doing this only for my research”, Porlyusica huffed. “So be damn sure to tell me everything. From this moment on, you two are officially forbidden to go into any missions anymore until said otherwise. I’m not interested to tell about this to others so you do that on your own. But I have to talk about this with Makarov, he has to know not to let you two go to missions. I’m now the one who decides what you are allowed to do and what not.”

Freed felt terrified. Porlyusica would talk about this to Makarov? Oh god… How would he react? What was he going to say?

“Now get lost!” Porlyusica shouted and that snapped Freed out of his thoughts. They both bolted up from their chairs when the old lady was obviously trying to find something what to throw at them. “You two are smart enough so use your heads and find the information about diets and stuff from the books. I’m too busy to spoil you by explaining every single little detail by myself. Out! And don’t you dare to forget come see me exactly two weeks from now!” they heard her shouting when they quickly stepped out of the room.

They stood in the hallway in silence for a good amount of time.

“Levy...” Freed finally whispered. “Please tell me I’m still sleeping...”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Freed”, Levy said. “That was… Quite a shock.”

“Yes...”

“I’m sure everything goes well. We can support each other. What do you want to do now?” Levy asked trying to smile encouragingly.

“I’m not sure”, Freed sighed. “I guess I’ll go sit there and wait for Bicks to wake up… I don’t believe I’m yet ready to think all this through.”

“Okay”, Levy nodded. “I’ll go to the library, I want to get some knowledge about this before I tell this to Gajeel.”

“Levy”, Freed said before the blue haired girl left. “Please keep this as a secret, for now. Of course, you can tell about your situation, but… Umm...”

“I understand”, Levy smiled softly. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you”, Freed nodded with a tiny smile and he turned to the other door.

He stepped inside and noticed that others were still sleeping. He just moved a chair near the bed and sat down. Right now he wanted to focus on Bickslow. He couldn’t even think about what Porlyusica had told, he just… Couldn’t. It was still absurd! Well of course he knew he wasn’t the only man in the world to experience something like that, there were actually many cases in the history caused by different spells, but…

He sighed rubbing his face. Nothing changed the fact that this still felt insane.

 


	44. Chapter 44

Sometime around noon Evergreen and Cana woke up finally. Ever came back to the infirmary at night since she couldn’t sleep and Freed was feeling a little quilty that he was able to sleep almost fifteen hours. Of course, he had a reason why he was sleeping more than usually but…

Quickly he shook his head. No! He was not ready to start thinking about that. He had to focus on Bickslow, he should be a good friend and do whatever he could so Bicks would feel better. After all, he would probably – or more like definitely – be dead without the seith mage’s help.

“Freed, are you alright?” Ever asked worried. Freed seemed so stressed and like he was lost in his thoughts even more than usual.

“What? Yes, everything is alright”, Freed assured. “I’m just worried about Bickslow”, he said.

“He’ll be alright”, Cana smiled brushing her fingers along Bicks’ cheek. “But I wish he would wake up soon.”

“He will”, Freed smiled. “I’m sure about it.”

“Yes… I’m really sorry about yesterday, Freed. I just -”

“I understand”, Freed said rising his hand. He still had a red bruise on the corner of his mouth but he didn’t care. It would fade soon enough and was nothing serious. “You don’t need to apologise.”

Silence landed in the room again and they just waited. Waited and did their best not to start thinking that maybe, just maybe something was wrong. Somewhere around two o’clock Mirajane and Lisanna brought them something to eat but none of them had much of an appetite right now.

It was around four o’clock when finally Bickslow shifted on his bed and they all tensed up instantly. Snoring had stopped and Bickslow’s eyes slowly opened. Freed felt so much relief when he saw their team member finally opening his eyes. And once again he was stunned when he realised he had forgotten how red Bicks’ eyes were. Dark and deep red like blood. Bicks low was always wearing his helmet, they rarely even saw his eyes.

They held their breaths when Bicks blinked few times and finally looked at them.

“Yo”, he snickered and they all felt almost ready to burst in tears because of so much relief that the seith mage was acting normally.

“Bickslow!” Ever and Cana shouted hugging the tall man tightly.

“All the ladies love Bickslow”, Bicks cackled pulling his long arms around them. “Freed, baby, good to see you’re still in one piece”, he grinned.

“All thanks to you”, Freed chuckled. “How are you feeling? Any pains?”

“Yeah, can’t deny that”, Bicks snorted and the girls let go of him. “It feels like that beast is still trying to split my head with its claws. And I’m pretty sure it broke all my ribs from my left side.”

“You were in a really bad shape”, Ever sniffled wiping her eyes. “For a moment we really… We thought...”

“Hey, no crying”, Bicks smiled patting Ever’s head. “Not some ugly swamp otter can kill me. By the way, what happened to it?”

“Valdeghar happened”, Freed smiled. “We will tell everything after Wendy has checked you and then you need something to eat.”

“It must be a really interesting story”, Bickslow grinned. “Can’t wait. Where are my babies?” he asked looking around.

“Right here”, Freed said and he walked over to the table and took the Tiki dolls. Then he returned back to the bed.

Bickslow inspected them thoroughly, muttered something about a fucking furry octopus trying to destroy his ‘babies’ and finally set them on the bed. He snapped his fingers and all five dolls hopped in the air just like that.

“We slept long!” they chirped and Freed couldn’t believe how happy he was when he could hear those high-pitched voices again.

“Yes you did”, Cana smiled, hugging one of the dolls that snuggled against her cheek.

“I’ll go fetch Wendy now”, Freed smiled. “And ask Mirajane to bring over some food.”

“Alright, baby”, Bicks said and Freed stepped in the hallway. 

 

They told Bickslow everything while the seith mage ate and Wendy was happy to tell them that he would be back to normal in two or three weeks.

“This sucks”, Bickslow groaned, as they were now alone with Freed in the infirmary and ‘babies’ were dozing off on the bed. Cana and Ever had went to their house to find some other clothes for Bicks and other supplies. “Do I really need to spend the whole week here at the infirmary before I can go home and rest there?”

“Yes you do”, Freed nodded. “That was Wendy’s orders. Or do you want me to go fetch Porlyusica to say those same words? You know how happy she would be to do that.”

“No, baby, I think I’ll believe Wendy’s words.”

“I thought so”, Freed chuckled and Bickslow laughed.

The blue haired mage looked at Freed.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Me? I’m fine”, Freed smiled. But he knew Bicks didn’t buy it at all. Sometimes he was actually frightened how observant Bickslow could be if he really wanted. And with his eyes, he saw things other people didn’t.

He restrained himself from looking at Bickslow with fear when he realised something: Bickslow could see his soul. Could he see…?

“You ain’t that fine, are you?” Bickslow asked and Freed tensed up. Did he know? “Something is wrong, baby. You thought I wouldn’t notice? I should’ve said something from the start and not to wait until something happened. Damn, I even tried to pick up a mission that seemed it wouldn’t be too dangerous”, he huffed.

“I knew you were up to something”, Freed grumbled crossing his arms. “You had no right to do something like that.”

“No right, huh? You’re so damn stubborn sometimes I don’t know if I should laugh or cry”, Bicks snorted. “And what if we had taken some bigger mission? And then your magic had stopped working there, what would have happened?”

Freed felt how his cheeks were burning slightly because of embarrassment. He knew it was a good thing that Bickslow had picked up an easier mission for them this time. But it just irritated him so much.

“Everything is now fine”, he said. “You don’t need to do something like that again.”

“Like hell, I’ll do it as many times as I see it necessary. You know, if Laxus were here he wouldn’t have let you go on any missions at all before we knew what’s wrong.”

“Everything is perfectly fine so you don’t need to -”

“Don’t you fucking lie to me, Freed”, Bickslow snarled making Freed flinch. “Something is going on, I see it clearly. What is it? Are you sick? You always do this same stupid thing over and over again, never wanting to make anyone worry about you. I swear, if only I could get up from this bed I would give you a good beating ‘cause you didn’t say anything.”

“Calm down”, Freed said. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Like I haven’t heard you saying that before, baby”, Bickslow tisked. “I’m gonna tell Ever to make sure you will go see Wendy.”

“There is no need”, Freed frowned.

“You’re always like that when there IS something wrong.”

“I will take care of my problems, Bickslow. You concentrate on getting better.”

“Now you’re practically admitting something is going on. What is it, Freed?”

Freed knew that if he kept talking he would probably say something he didn’t mean to, or yell at Bickslow and he didn’t want to do that either. He just stood up from his chair.

“At this rate we are just going to fight and that is not good for you right now”, he said and his voice was colder than he actually intended. He was just too annoyed right now. “I’m going home. I will bring you some snacks tomorrow, maybe those cookies you like so much.”

“Hey!” Bicks barked as the rune mage started to walk towards the door. “We’re not done yet! I’m still talking to you!” he said and tried to get up, but he was still hurting too much to do that.

“Try to rest, Bicks.”

“Freed! You’re shutting us out!” Bickslow yelled angrily. “We want to know what’s going on, just so we can help!”

“I know, but right now the most important thing is for you to rest and get better. I will be fine, I promise”, Freed said and he stepped in the hallway, closing the door and didn’t care about Bicks’ yelling.

He knew he meant well. He was just worried. But Freed wasn’t ready to talk about this yet, not even with Bicks low or Ever. He just sighed and stepped on the stairs.

“I will go home”, he said to Ever who just appeared at the Hall with Cana.

“Oh”, Ever said surprised. “I thought we would spend the whole evening here together.”

“I just remembered something I need to do”, Freed said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me you two had a fight”, Ever huffed.

“I really am sorry. We did have a slight disagreement about one thing that doesn’t matter right now, but you know how he is. I think it’s better that I go home so he can cool his head.”

“If you’re sure”, Ever said.

“Fighting wouldn’t do any good for him now”, Cana said.

“I agree”, Freed nodded. “So I will see you again tomorrow. I promised to Bickslow I would bring some cookies over for him.”

“See you tomorrow, Freed”, Cana smiled and Freed nodded, walking to the doors and out of the Guild House.

 

Freed did his best to avoid thinking about what  all had happened  to day. He tried to think about anything else, like what kind of cookies he should make for Bickslow. And should he maybe make something else too, since he was starting to bake?

Before he even knew it, he was suddenly standing in front of the house. Not their house, but Laxus’ house. He hadn’t been here since Bickslow and Ever brought him back home. It was not that long ago actually, but it felt like  weeks ago . Freed sighed and went to the stone wall, where one of the stones was loose and from behind it he took the key. He was here already so why not go in? Did it matter was he here or at their house?

He stepped in and clicked the lights on. Nothing had changed. But he smiled slightly when he could smell that comfortable, familiar scent all around. He put his coat and boots away and stepped in the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed the orange hoodie he had left neatly folded on the couch before he had left.

Freed shook his head and opened the closet, looking for the ingredients for the cookie dough. He needed flour, butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs, baking powder… Maybe just a little bit of vanilla? It would go nicely with the chocolate.

But when he tried to find some vanilla, he didn’t find any. He had everything else, though. He could obviously just not use vanilla and do regular cookies but before he could even think about it, suddenly Freed felt a burst of frustration, anger and fear too big for him to ignore it anymore. This one tiny little thing finally shoved him over the edge and he just couldn’t stop himself from sobbing.  Everything was a mess.

He closed the door with maybe a little bit too much force since it’s other hinge broke. But he didn’t care, he just slumped on the big arm chair in the living room. There was too many different feelings rushing over him and he didn’t know what to do or what to think. His magic didn’t work like it should. Ever and Bicks were worried about him. He had no idea how he should tell them that he couldn’t go to any missions for a long time, or how to calm them so they wouldn’t worry so much. And he couldn’t even find that fucking vanilla for the cookies!

After a moment that felt like a whole night, Freed opened his reddened eyes and looked around. He noticed the hoodie, grabbed it and unfolded it. Laxus… Slowly he pulled the hoodie over his head and squirmed his way inside it without getting up  from the chair . He just  inhaled deeply the scent of  his Thunder God and it soothed him. He felt instantly a little bit better.  But then he felt sad  again . Laxus wasn’t here. It was just his old hoodie. But even that helped him to calm down enough so he could finally think. 

There was no running away. He had to confront the fact: He was having a baby. The mere thought sent cold shivers run down his spine  and it felt like his stomach was tied in knots . He still couldn’t understand how that was in any way possible but… If Porlyusica said this was the situation, then it was so.

Then a new thought popped into his head. Laxus was the father. He was having a baby with  _Laxus_ . That made him smile  slightly as he buried himself better at the chair and in the hoodie, lifting his legs on the stool. They would have an absolutely adorable little girl or a boy, with  wild blond hair and stunning orange, beautiful eyes.  Suddenly a thought about having a baby wasn’t that frightening anymore. It was hell of a lot to adjust, but not daunting. Or maybe they would have his turquoise eyes and…

Freed frowned. Oh yeah, they might have red hair. His hair was green because of the demons. He had thought about it many times, did demons reverse the colours in hair, so if their child had yellow hair it would turn purple? Not that it mattered, he would never let their child into that big mansion where his grandfather lived. He would be the last Zaldevil having a contract with demons.

 

Being lost in his thoughts, Freed didn’t even notice it was starting to get late. It was already dark outside when he heard knocking from the door. He stood up and came to the door, opening it.

Freed jolted slightly when he saw the tiny old man standing in front of him.

“Good evening, Freed”, Makarov smiled.

“Good evening, Master”, Freed said and managed to stop himself from gulping. “Um… Is something wrong?”

“No, I just thought I should stop by, if you’re not busy?”

“Of course not”, Freed assured and let Makarov in.

“You weren’t at the house of you three so I thought you might be here”, Makarov said and took off his shoes. “Were you doing dinner?”

“No”, Freed said closing the door.

“Then it’s good that I brought these”, the old man said and lifted up the bag he was holding in his hand. “You don’t mind some fast food?”

“That is really kind of you, Master”, Freed smiled and took the bag.

“Just call me Makarov, we’re alone after all”, Makarov smiled following Freed to the kitchen. “I understand you want to be formal at the Guild so you don’t seem impolite but here we don’t need to be formal. I just wanted to come see how you’re doing and maybe chat a little.”

“You’re always welcome here”, Freed smiled and he started to set the table.

For a while there was a silence, as Freed put the food on the plates and set the glasses on the table. Makarov sat down, following what he was doing.

“Thank you”, he said when Freed gave him the plate, took his own and sat down as well when everything was ready.

“Thank you for bringing the food”, Greenette smiled and they started eating.

“I heard you went to see Bickslow”, Makarov said.

“Yes, I’m really happy to see he is doing much better, even though he can’t get up from the bed yet. Maybe that is for the best or otherwise he might be already doing something he shouldn’t”, Freed chuckled.

“I can see that happening”, Makarov laughed. “He is a strong boy with a carefree nature, like many in Fairy Tail. And that is good.”

“Yes”, Freed nodded.

He looked at the old man and hesitated a moment.

“Do you want to ask me something?” Makarov asked without even lifting his gaze from his food.

“H-have you heard... Anything about Laxus?” Freed stuttered. He was about to ask something else but couldn’t at the last second.

“No. They can’t make contact even with me”, Makarov said and Freed’s gaze dropped back to his food.

“I understand”, he said. “Of course, that was a stupid question.”

“No, you should always ask if there is something you want to know. For a moment I did consider letting them make contact with me if they needed, but then I decided they should do this completely by themselves. Master needs to make decisions by himself sometimes. Of course, I too listen to what others have to say but in the end everybody waits for my final decision. If I don’t let them do this alone, without even my help, they would still be relying on someone and not doing this by themselves.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded.

They ate and Freed put the dishes in the sink. Then he brought a tray over to the living room and set the teacups on the coffee table and poured some tea.

“I hope you like chamomile, it relaxes nicely as it is quite late already”, he said.

“Thank you, Freed”, Makarov nodded and he took his cup. “I don’t think I have ever visited Laxus’ place and had this good treatment”, he guffawed, making Freed chuckle.

“I think this is just polite”, he said and sat down. It was then when he finally realised he was still wearing the hoodie. Oh god, he was probably looking ridiculous.

“It must soothe you, that hoodie?” Makarov asked as he noticed exactly what Freed was thinking. Poor boy was always so worried was he polite enough and did he look proper. This was the first time he ever had seen him dressed up more relaxed. At least with his own will, of course. When they last time had a costume party at Fairy Tail, Bickslow and Evergreen had forced Freed to dress up as a scarecrow.

“Um... Yes, I have to confess to that”, Freed nodded.

“That is good. I was worried about you, now that Laxus is away and he won’t return yet anytime soon. Although, who knows? It all depends how long it will take them to finish their missions. They might return even earlier.”

“Or it might take them longer”, Freed murmured and Makarov huffed.

“Of course, that is also possible”, he agreed.

There was silence again, until Makarov finally looked at Freed and  the swordsman lifted his gaze when he noticed the movement.

“I talked with Porlyusica”, the old man said and Freed felt like his guts freeze. “I understand if it feels bad but she had to tell me. This is really big news. You do know that I’m really happy for you and Laxus, right?” Makarov smiled.

“Y-you are?” Freed stuttered.

“Of course! What were you expecting? That I would throw out the person who’s carrying my great-grandchild just because he’s a man?”

“W-well... Not necessarily throwing me out...”

“You’re always so worried about everything”, Makarov laughed. “I didn’t know something like this could happen but I’m glad it did. Now I have a chance to see my great-grandchild before I die.”

Freed just blinked and he didn’t know what to think. Makarov was happy for them? It was not upsetting that his only grandson was having a child with another man?

“I have to be honest, I was quite worried what you would say”, he said with a small smile. “Because this is so... Unusual.”

“Just because something is unusual, doesn’t make it a bad thing”, the old master smiled. “Remember that, Freed.”

He frowned and that made Freed tense up again.

“But... When I heard about this, I couldn’t stop thinking how hard this must be for you”, Makarov said with a deep sigh. “If I had known this, I would have waited before sending Laxus on that mission.”

“But it is a really important mission”, Freed said.

“But now Laxus can’t be here to support you. And he couldn’t be the first person to hear he’s about to be a father. I can’t say nothing more than I’m really sorry, Freed”, Makarov said bowing his head and that made Freed almost drop off from the couch.

“Please don’t bow your head, Master”, he said quickly. “That is not necessary.”

“Yes it is, I’m deeply sorry that I had to make you go through this unnecessary pain and with that I have failed as a Master”, Makarov said with an adamant tone, not lifting his head. “Master should never make his children suffer like this.”

“You couldn’t have known, please lift your head, Makarov”, Freed begged. “I’m absolutely not holding any grudge and I’m not mad. I understand that Laxus had to go, he is going to be a great Master if you decide to give that title to him. He is smart, strong and most of all he loves Fairy Tail and everyone who belongs in it more than anything.”

Finally the old man straightened his spine and looked at Freed with a smile.

“You really are a good and loyal man, Freed. I’m more than happy that Laxus could finally open his eyes and see that too. I’m honoured that soon you will join in the Dreyar family, you are exactly the mate Laxus needs so he will stay on his path and make good decisions. With your help, I’m sure he can do anything. And I believe with him you are also cabable to achieve whatever goals you set for yourself. I have known it from the start that you two are perfect for each other.”

Freed could say nothing, he just gulped hard and did his best not to sob. Makarov just laughed heartily.

“I-I’m sorry, it just seems I can’t control myself fully”, Freed sniffled wiping his eyes slightly trembling. Makarov’s words were just so kind.

“It’s alright, Freed”, man with the big moustache smiled warmly. “It’s part of being pregnant. When my lovely wife was pregnant with my good for nothing son, she was emotional as hell all the time. And she normally was able to hold her feelings better than anyone I have ever known.”

Freed chuckled. It was good to hear he wasn’t acting totally ridiculous.

“If there is anything I can do to help, remember that you only need to ask”, Makarov said and he hopped down onto the floor. Freed stood up also.

“I will remember”, he nodded.

“I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but if you want some advice, I recommend that you should talk about this with Bickslow and Evergreen”, Makarov said as he walked to the door and put his shoes back on.

“I don’t feel comfortable telling about this to others before I have talked with Laxus”, Freed sighed.

“I understand. But you know, they are just going to keep on being worried about you. They were the ones who insisted that I should talk with you, since you didn’t listen to them. They might have mentioned something about being stubborn”, Makarov grinned playfully and Freed laughed.

“I might have bad manners in that department”, he agreed.

“I would have come to see you anyway. Oh, before I forget completely”, Makarov said and he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Levy asked me to give this to you. It’s a list of books she thought you might find useful.”

“Thank you, Makarov”, Freed smiled taking the paper.

“That’s more like it”, Makarov grinned. “Although, you can as well start calling me Gramps.”

“One thing at a time”, Freed said and made the old man laugh.

“As you wish, Freed. Go rest now. And think about what I said. When they know about the situation, they can help you. Otherwise they don’t know what to do and they definitely won’t stop worrying. That way you also don’t have to come up with excuses of why you can’t go to missions.”

“Oh, right”, Freed sighed. “I almost forgot that...”

“Porlyusica was really strict with it. No missions. She might seem heartless and only interested about her research, but trust me: She’s also really worried about you and Levy, since we don’t have much information if pregnancies caused by dragon slayer magic go normally. She only wants to keep you two safe.”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “We all know that despite acting like she hates us all, she actually cares Fairy Tail a lot.”

“Yes. Now, thank you for the tea and company”, Makarov smiled opening the door. “Let’s chat again more some other evening.”

“Good night, Makarov”, Freed smiled and he went to do the dishes after locking the door.

 


	45. Chapter 45

In the next morning Freed headed to the Guild after the breakfast and making some cookies for Bickslow. He was glad to see him already awake and Evergreen was there also, as well as Cana. He had thought Makarov’s words through and with time. He was right. He should tell about this to his team. He was still feeling bad because he had to let other people know about this before Laxus but it was necessary. Laxus would understand.

He asked Cana to leave them for a moment. After apologies because of yesterday, he told them everything. Nervously, he sat there and waited for what they would say. If he hadn’t been so nervous, he would’ve laughed because the stunned expressions in their faces.

“Holy hell, that’s even more bigger news that I could imagine in my head”, Bicks said.

“And Laxus doesn’t know?” Ever asked.

“Of course not, he’s out there on a mission. Even I didn’t know before yesterday”, Freed huffed. “I don’t have any way to reach him so I could tell him.”

“Shit... So how are you feeling?” Bicks asked.

“I don’t know, I’m still trying to process this information”, Freed said shaking his head.

“Is your magic back to normal?”

“I don’t know that either. Valdeghar said my magic is unstable, I’m guessing that’s because of the hormones. I have Laxus’ magic to protect us if something happens, but my magic might not work properly.”

“Then it is a good thing that Porlyusica forbid the missions”, Ever said. “We can do some little missions with Bicks after he recovers so we can cover the rent and bills. And thanks to you we have enough savings so everything should be fine.”

“Thank you”, Freed smiled. “I really hate it that I have to ask this much and can’t do nothing at all myself.”

“Don’t sweat it”, Bickslow grinned. “You have a really good reason for it.”

“Maybe I can negotiate with Porlyusica more about that mission ban. You know, maybe if there’s something I can do at home? Translating some texts and similar.”

“Dunno what she might say”, Bicks huffed. “But guess it’s worth the shot, if you really don’t then need to go anywhere. But we don’t get jobs like that often in our Guild. Everybody knows that Fairy Tail is more into going out and beating bad guys, than sitting inside and going trough some dusty books. Even though we have you, Levy and couple of others who would like to do jobs like those”, he snickered.

“I should talk with Porlyusica and then ask Mirajane to tell me if there are any missions like that”, Freed smiled.

 

Needless to say, the trip to Porlyusica did not go well. It was his quick reflexes that saved him from getting a hit by the broom, as he was chased away from the cottage. So he had to come up with something else. In a way, it was nice to have a little challenge, how to make money when he couldn’t go on missions.

But after couple of days hard thinking what he could do, he started to really just get annoyed. But when Levy and Gajeel finally announced about the pregnancy, it lifted his spirit and he was really happy to see how the whole Guild was bursting with joy. Of course there were big party, lots of congratulations, even some gifts. Levy was absolutely glowing, laughing with others and Gajeel was so full of pride he would have popped if someone stuck him with a needle.

Even Bickslow was allowed to come into the Hall to join the party and Freed smiled looking how their guild mates had fun. When the darkness started to land outside, the atmosphere was quite drunk.

“Are you having fun?” Levy asked as she sat down in the same table with the rune mage. Of course it was obvious they couldn’t drink any alcohol but they were alright with just juice and water.

“Yes”, he smiled. “It is so nice to see everybody having fun. Congratulations, Levy”, he said and Levy chuckled.

“You already knew this”, she reminded.

“I know, but I still wanted to say it”, Freed smiled. “It seems that Gajeel took the news pretty well.”

“I’m almost scared of how well”, Levy giggled. “But I’m glad. He said that he had been wondering for a while about my scent.”

“Your scent?”

“Yes. He said it was different, but he didn’t know why.”

“Interesting”, Freed murmured. “Well of course it makes sense that hormones would affect the natural scent. They can smell it when one is stressed, scared, happy or similar. So obviously pregnancy with it’s strong hormone surges is something they notice easily.”

He quickly looked at Levy and now he was a little bit scared.

“They might notice”, he repeated.

“Right now they are so drunk I don’t believe they could notice anything”, Levy giggled. “Don’t worry, Freed. Even if they do notice, I don’t believe they would say anything.”

“Maybe not Gajeel”, Freed huffed. “And Natsu is simple minded enough not to maybe understand, but he might blurt something out and then someone else might realise it.”

“You’re thinking it too much. Have you yet read any of those books I listed?”

“No, not yet.”

“You should. Have you yet noticed anything different happening?”

“Hmm… I seems it is kind of a challenge to try and control all of my feelings”, Freed confessed with a slight blush and Levy chuckled.

“Is that all? You’re lucky”, she smirked. “Obviously you haven’t yet experienced the morning sickness in it’s full glory.”

“Is it really that horrible?”

“You have no idea. I’ve had it already two weeks. It was the reason I started to wonder if I was pregnant.”

“I see, this is just getting better and better”, Freed muttered. “Um… Do you happen to know when… Ahem...”

“The pregnancy starts to be visible to others? Usually after three months at least. But it really depends, not everyone gets a big baby belly”, Levy smiled. “Who knows.”

“Three months...” Freed murmured. Laxus would return in five weeks, if everything goes well. He would be then in his eleventh week. If he was lucky, it wouldn’t then yet be visible. But if it took longer for Laxus to return… It would be hard to try hide it.

He sighed and rubbed his face.

“I think I might as well go to the Guild’s library to read, then”, he said. “Or do I have to head to the library in town?”

“No, there are two of those books I listed”, Levy smiled. “Rest you have to find from the town’s library, but it is a good start.”

“Yes”, Freed nodded and he stood up. “Seriously, he’s about to be a father but you could easily mistake him to a sponge in a barrel”, he huffed looking at Gajeel who was laughing hard with others.

“Let him have his fun”, Levy giggled. “When the baby is born, we can’t do things spontaneously or party until morning and stuff. Would you say to Laxus he’s not allowed to have a party if he wants to do so after he hears the news?” she asked and Freed smiled.

“Of course not”, he admitted. “But then, we cannot be sure there even will be any party.”

“Freed”, Levy sighed rolling her eyes.

“I’m just being realist. No one can say how he might react.”

“You’re being dumbass. You’re the only one who thinks that way.”

“Wow, pregnancy is turning you more sassy, soon you might compete with Evergreen”, Freed chuckled.

He looked at Levy and jolted when he saw how those big, soft brown eyes started to tear up and her lower lip quivered slightly.

“Err… Um...” Freed stammered and Levy sobbed taking the napkin from the table.

“I really try my best not to be unpleasant”, the blue haired girl sniffled.

“Oh no, you’re not unpleasant”, Freed assured quickly. “Forgive me, that was not what I meant at all.”

Levy swiped her tears with the napkin and tried to smile.

“Yeah, I know”, she said. “It’s just… It’s just...” she wailed and was crying again.

“It’s just those hormones”, Freed huffed. “I understand. Believe me, I really do.”

“I-I think I’m going to talk with Bisca”, Levy said with a small laugh. “Maybe she can give me some tips how to deal with these bursts.”

“If she has any, please tell me too then”, Freed chuckled.

He turned to head to the library, when he almost bumped against the iron dragon slayer. Freed lifted his gaze and felt shivers when he saw those red eyes full of anger.

“Why’s she crying?” Gajeel growled and Freed stepped further from the angry, now also drunk dragon slayer. “What did you say to her, you nerd?”

“We were just talking, nothing bad happened”, Freed assured. “She’s just a bit emotional right now -”

“You made my mate cry”, Gajeel grumbled narrowing his eyes.

“Um… Yes, it seems that did happen… But -”

“No one makes my mate cry”, the black haired mage snarled and Freed knew this was bad. He was against a dragon slayer who wanted to protect his pregnant mate.

“I’m deeply sorry, I did not mean to make her cry”, he tried to explain rationally, keeping his voice calm.

“Gajeel, leave Freed alone”, Levy said quickly grabbing her hands around the big man, who growled towards Freed. “He didn’t mean to make me cry.”

“But he still did”, Gajeel growled.

“It’s because of the hormones, you remember? I explained these things to you earlier.”

“I think I need to go now when I still have a change”, Freed said and headed towards the stairs. Gajeel grunted something and the swordsman heard Levy scolding him for being so overprotective he didn’t even think clearly.

Freed huffed and closed the big doors of the library after him. Levy would have her hands full to keep Gajeel calm if he was going to react that way every time if Levy even sniffled a little. Obviously if Levy wouldn’t have stopped Gajeel, he would probably be running around the Guild Hall right now, trying to dodge attacks and not able to use his magic to defend himself. Fighting was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

It was quiet in the library and he was glad about it. He just wandered between the shelves for a while, trying to find the right books. After he found them he sat down on his usual spot in the corner of the library, nice quiet place with a comfy arm chair and a light. It was a place you didn’t notice right away when entering the library and that’s why it was his favorite spot, since it gave him some privacy.

Freed took one of the books and started to read it, leaning his head on his hand. He flipped pages as he finished them and frowned a little. There was much to remember. He straightened himself and went to the nearest desk where he found papers and a quill. He had to make notes or else he couldn’t remember everything. He obviously had to create a diet for himself, since there were foods he couldn’t eat and there were things he wasn’t allowed to do either. Oh god he was going to miss hot baths...

He went through the whole book and opened the second one. If he was quick enough, he would manage to read this book as well and take all the notes he needed and still have some time to go to the town’s library.

 

Freed fluttered his long eyelashes and wondered what had happened for a moment. Did he fall asleep? He yawned and straightened himself, as he was leaning against the table, open book under  his arms . It seemed like he really did fall asleep while working… He wondered what the time might be and rubbed his eyes, looking at the wall where he knew the big clock was.

Freed blinked when looking at the clock. Was it really the same clock? But the numbers were all wrong. And the pointers were moving oddly, not in a perfect pace like they should but too fast. Freed rubbed his eyes more. Was he still sleeping? He stood up and looked around.

Everything seemed so… Surreal. All the shelves were crooked, books were ridiculously different sized, even the windows he saw were twisted and he wasn’t sure did he actually see anything trough the glass. It was like there were thick fog behind them.

Carefully he stepped further and looked around. Obviously it was dark outside, but there were some lightspots in the odd places like between the shelves, or behind the books, even under the ridiculously warped table. There were enough them so he could see around but not too many so they would light up every shadowy corner he saw.

This was… Eerie. It was so quiet in the library it actually made Freed’s ears hurt. What was wrong with this place? One guess popped in his mind.

“Valdeghar?” he said and even though he whispered, it was like his voice was emerged at least six different spots in the library, making it echo and Freed felt shivers. This really was scary as hell, he had to admit it.

He heard no answer. Well, he wasn’t really surprised, this was not how everything looked when Valdeghar visited his dreams. He had never seen something like this, but he was pretty sure it was because of demons. Some demon he didn’t know was meddling with his dreams.

Freed spun around startled when suddenly he heard deep breath. Where did it come from? He looked around and his heart was pounding against his chest. He really needed to calm down, being jumpy was not helping him, he needed to think. He had to come up with a way how to escape this place. If this was a dream, how could he make himself wake up?

He heard another slow gasp and he stepped closer to the doors. Who was breathing? Some demon? What demon was it?

Freed’s gaze suddenly locked straight ahead, at the end of the passageway between the shelves. He felt panic when he realised there was something standing right there, something he didn’t notice earlier there.

The figure was tall, slim and stood perfectly still. Like an old big clock that was covered with a dark sheet. For a moment Freed didn’t move a muscle, just staring that figure who didn’t move at all. Finally he started to relax a bit, but his hand never moved far from the hilt of his sword.

Freed almost jumped when suddenly the figure moved slightly. It started to turn  slowly and Freed stared at two  round hollow eyes that now stared back. What should he do? He glanced towards the doors that weren’t too far and looked back at the figure. What the…?

He wasn’t sure was it just his eyes deceiving him or did that figure move closer? Freed was almost too scared to even blink, just staring those round big eyes that stared back without a word. Freed swallowed as his throat felt suddenly really dry and he glanced at the clock, then remembering it was no use for him as it was just a mess with no sense.

He looked back and figure had moved closer.

“Oh shit!” he cried out loud before even realizing it and he almost stumbled on his feet as he moved quickly further. The figure did nothing and did not move as he stared it. But when he again looked at the doors just to see how far they still were, it only took a second when he looked back and the creature was even closer.

Feeling the panic and fear, Freed broke the eye contact and grabbed the doors, opening them and closed them as quickly as possible when he was at the other side. He panted heavily and looked at the dark stairway. Steps were uneven and there were no lights, but the ceiling seemed like it was glowing with stars. Carefully he started his way down the stairs.

The whole Guild House was silent and it was unnerving as hell. Fairy Tail was never this quiet. He walked past the corners and arrived at the Hall, but there was no-one there. There should be! There was a big party going on! But instead it seemed like there haven’t been anyone in this Hall for the long time. Even the tables and chairs were removed.

Freed felt shivers when he heard breathing. It was that demon again. He stumbled down the last steps and looked around, trying to find out where his enemy was. Finally he saw it, standing in the corner. What should he do?

He did his best to not break the eye contact this time but when his eyes started to dry and water, he had to blink. The figure was instantly closer, looking at him with it’s hollow eyes and breathing slowly.

“Who are you?” Freed stuttered and he was trembling. This was more than just a nightmare. What would happen if that demon caught him?

He blinked and the figure was closer. Now he was starting to really fear it. He took a step and almost tripped over something, he had to look what it was but saw nothing, then he looked at the sheated creature who was now even closer.

“Don’t come closer!” Freed shouted and desperately swished out his sword, only to notice its blade drooped like it was melting. Quickly he dropped it and drew some runes in the air but nothing happened. Now he realised he had at some point broken the eye contact.

He lifted his turquoise eyes and looked at those deep, big circles that were only inches away from his face. Breathing was now heavy and it filled Freed’s ears as there were nothing else to hear.

When the figure moved, Freed drew back and stumbled.

 

He felt how his back hit the floor and he blinked. He was looking at the ceiling. Was he awake? Or still sleeping? Where was the demon? Could he move at all?

He slowly moved his head and yelled in fear when there was someone standing next to him and it took couple of second before he realised it was Mirajane.

“Freed?” Mira said with a worried voice. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking at the rune mage who had fallen with his chair to the floor when fighting against the nightmare.

“W-what? Uh...” Freed wheezed and he was panting heavily, finally starting to understand what was going on.

They were in the library. He had fallen asleep against the table. Freed quickly glanced at the clock and it looked normal, as well as the shelves and everything else.

“Are you alright?” Mirajane repeated her question and Freed took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“Yes”, he finally said and sat up. “It was… Just a really intense nightmare”, he said and with Mirajane’s help he stood up. “It seems like I fell asleep while studying.”

“Levy told me you were here, I was just wondering if you were hungry”, Mirajane smiled. “Then I saw you sleeping and you were muttering something. It seemed like you were having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up.”

“Thank you”, Freed smiled. “I’m fine now.”

“What were you studying?” Mira asked curiously looking at the note sheets and books.

Quickly Freed shoved the notes in one pile and put them upside down on the books to hide them.

“It’s… Umm… Something very personal, please understand”, he said.

“Of course”, Mira said a little bit confused but smiled. “It’s none of my business, I was just a little bit curious. So, do you want something to eat?” he asked friendly as ever.

“What was the time again?”

“Almost ten, you’ve been here many hours already.”

“Oh… I guess I could eat something”, Freed nodded. “But I will come downstairs”, he said before Mira left. He wasn’t actually thrilled to stay in the library after a nightmare like that. “Could you wait me at the doors, so I will put these books in their right places?”

“Of course, Freed”, Mira smiled and stepped on the doors.

Freed sighed in his mind, took the notes and put them inside his coat. Then he took the books and went to put them on their right places at the shelves.

He stopped when he saw the spot where he first time noticed the creature in his dreams. Now it was empty. He shook his head and continued, still feeling uneasy no matter how much he tried to calm himself.

It was just a dream. There was nothing here. But still, as he stepped to the doors where Mirajane waited him, he knew he wouldn’t return here for at least a few weeks, not alone.

 


	46. Chapter 46

In the next week Freed used most of his time in infirmary with Bickslow to keep him company. He also read the books he got from the library and made notes. He had asked Ever to get the books for him since he was too familiar with the staff in library and he didn’t want to raise questions.

He was also doing his best to avoid Gajeel and Natsu, so when he heard Natsu had left to the mission with Lucy, Gray and Juvia, he was relieved. Gajeel was mostly only focused on Levy, so he could avoid him good enough.

After that week Wendy finally gave Bickslow a permission to leave the infirmary so he could rest at home. But he was still forbidden to go in any missions at least for two weeks. Since Freed had nothing else to do, he also mostly stayed at home to help Bickslow with whatever he needed. The seith mage had still a little bit problems with his feet, as he stumbled easily when walking in stairs. He had always been so flexible and acrobatic, Freed could tell that was frustrating as hell for him, even though Bicks did his best not to show it. But every day, he was doing better and better.

The nightmare Freed had in the library appeared almost every night now. He was in different locations, when in the Guild, when in their home, when on the streets of Magnolia and every time he did his best to get away from the demon who silently followed him, moving when he wasn’t watching. Sometimes in his dream, especially when it was located in their house it just stood there watching him, doing nothing. When he tried to move away, it just reappeared somewhere close and kept staring at him. It was almost just as scary as when he was trying to run away from it.

Today he had to go see Porlyusica for the first examine and he was really tired. But he had to keep going, walking through the forest to the cottage. Levy had her time earlier so they wouldn’t happen to meet each other, since Gajeel was obviously following her like a shadow everywhere.

Freed stepped on the porch and knocked the door. When he heard a familiar grunt he opened the door.

“Good morning, Porlyusica”, he greeted and carefully wiped his shoes clean before stepping in.

“Finally, what took you so long?” the pink haired old woman tisked looking at him.

“Am I late?”

“You could have come earlier”, Porlyusica said and Freed sighed to himself. There was no way to please this woman.

Porlyusica looked at him from top to bottom.

“You look weary”, she noticed.

“I am”, Freed nodded. “I’m having troubles to sleep well.”

“You useless humans are making my research harder. Take off your coat and shirt and sit there”, Porlyusica commanded.

Freed put his coat on the rack with his belt and folded his shirt neatly on the back of a chair with the scarf. Then he sat down where Porlyusica pointed.

“Why can’t you sleep?” she asked putting her hand on the mark.

“Just some nightmares, nothing to worry about”, Freed assured. “Was Levy okay?”

“If you wanted to know that, you should have come with her at the same time.”

“I think it’s better if I keep my distance from Gajeel…”

Now Porlyusica seemed a little bit interested.

“Why so?” she asked while writing something in her book.

“I don’t want him to notice my pregnancy and… I have a feeling he really don’t want me to come near Levy anymore. Maybe it has something to do with the dragon instincts or similar. I mean, it’s not like we are good friends in the same way as I am with Levy, but we are still friends.” They were really good friends with Levy so obviously he was bound to get to know Gajeel better also, not that he complained. “We usually talk this and that, but now it sometimes feel like he either ignores me completely or just stares at me as if trying to figure if he should just not care or should he hate me.”

“Quite interesting. He might see you as a threat. Not that you might cause something to Levy but maybe he just doesn’t like the idea of the other dragon slayer’s mate being pregnant in the same area.”

“What?” Freed asked blinking.

“It is very common in nature”, Porlyusica explained writing more in her book. “It is a way to make sure there wont be anything around to harm the mate and the baby. But this can bring us some serious problems if Gajeel and Laxus can’t control their instincts once seeing each other again.”

“Do you think they might cause something?”

“Of course I think they might, you moron. We are talking about dragon slayers, they always cause trouble where ever they go”, Porlyusica snapped. “I’m worried that if there is wrong word said in the wrong moment, they might start a fight that could destroy the whole city considering how powerful they are. They might start a serious battle for territory, depending of how bestial they might get. Winner gets to stay in the city with his mate, loser has to find another place.”

“Oh god”, Freed trembled when thinking about it. “That sounds really extreme.”

“In the nature, only strong ones survive and reproduce.”

“So it is possible that Gajeel already knows, at least at some level”, Freed huffed. “I should keep my distance then.”

“That is a good idea. Laxus is not here to protect you. I don’t believe Gajeel would hurt you, but he might threaten you a little just to keep you away. He probably doesn’t even notice it himself.”

“He’s already growling every single time he sees me…”

“So it has begun. But in the end what I said is the worst case scenario. They might also decide there is no need to fight over or just simply get over with those bestial instincts. Though I doupt that...” Porlyusica muttered.

There was silence as Porlyusica made notes and went through rest of the examination.

“You need more food”, she finally said and let go of Freed’s mark. “And you definitely need to try to sleep better. Your body is exhausted.”

“I will do my best”, Freed promised and took his shirt. “But everything else is alright?”

“Yes. It seems your body starts to change.”

“Change?” Freed jolted. “What do you mean?”

“Of course you know that male body is not suitable for carrying a child, let alone give birth”, Porlyusica tisked. “So it needs some changes. Female body also has to go through some changes during the pregnancy but yours are slightly bigger changes. I’m not saying you will turn into a woman, but something similar will happen. This should help you to figure things out”, she said and gave him a book.

“Um… Thank you”, Freed muttered taking the book.

“Now get out”, Porlyusica said sitting down behind her desk. “And eat more.”

“I will, thank you Porlyusica”, Freed said and he stepped outside after buckling on his belt. “I will see you again in -”

“Get lost, you rune ornated dragon’s squeeze toy!” the old healer yelled and Freed quickly shut the door and heard how the quill stuck on the surface of it. Quickly he started walking away from the cottage.

He was not sure what to think. His body would go through changes… Porlyusica said it like it was nothing, but he was slightly trembling even thinking about it. How much would his body change? It was like he was only just now realizing that he actually had to give _birth_ ! How the hell would he manage to do _that_?!

Freed groaned almost pulling his hair. He really was not ready for this at all! This was insane! There was absolutely no sense in this whole mess no matter how hard he tried to think about it!

He sighed looking at the sky. But what could he do? Maybe this was insane, but… It was not like he had any choice? He huffed and opened the book while walking towards the town.

He kept reading until he was at their house, opening the door and stepped inside.

“How did it go?” Ever asked. Surprisingly, she was actually cleaning the living room.

“Fine”, Freed said finally closing his book.

“Another book?”

“Yes, Porlyusica said I should read this… It seems like there will be lots of changes ahead”, Freed said and he slumped on a chair. Usually he would instantly start helping with cleaning – and at some point take over – but not now, he was too overwhelmed because of the meeting with Porlyusica. “This just feels like too much. I don’t know how to handle this. I seriously doupt if I can do this at all...” he sighed rubbing his face.

“And you think that women always accept it just like that?” Ever said as she sat down at the armrest of the chair, making Freed look at her. “It feels just as overwhelming and insane for us. Of course, your situation is slightly different but in the end it’s just the same: Suddenly you are responsible for a whole new life you need to keep safe.”

“I just don’t know how I can do this”, Freed said. “I know I have to, but…”

“Do you think that women are not scared of giving birth? Or becoming a parent?”

“Of course I’m not assuming something like that”, Freed sighed. He lifted the book looking at the cover. “You know, I do respect women in a whole new level now after reading all these books”, he said. “Since I have never been interested in women that way, I naturally never thought about how pregnancy works. I had no idea there was so much to keep in mind so the baby would be healthy and everything would go well.”

“It’s rare to hear a man saying something like that”, Ever giggled. “But then, men don’t experience something like this so it’s not a wonder. Well, _usually_ they don’t experience something like this.”

They heard a knock from the door and Ever went to open it.

“Hello, Wendy”, she said.

“Hello, Evergreen and Freed”, Wendy smiled. “I came to see Bickslow, if that would be okay?”

“He’s still sleeping”, Freed said and he put the book on the drawer. “Do you want me to go and wake him up?”

“Um, no, let him sleep. I can come back later”, Wendy assured. “I just wanted to check on him.”

“I know you didn’t go to the mission with Natsu and others so you can keep an eye on Bickslow”, Freed smiled and stood up. “We are really grateful of that. Why don’t you just stay and wait until Bickslow wakes up? We have some cake in the fridge and we can make some tea.”

“Would that really be okay?” Wendy asked, with just a little bit nervous tone in her voice. She had never stayed in the house of the Thunder Legion just… Well, like eating cake and drinking tea. It sounded absurd to even think about, them doing something so casual like that. Something so… Normal, like they weren’t one of the strongest teams in the whole Guild!

“Of course”, Freed smiled and he filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. “Isn’t Carla joining us?”

“No, she said she had other things to do”, Wendy explained as she took off her shoes.

They set the table and sat down after everything was ready.

“ _So_ _goood_ ”, Wendy praised with a sweet tone after taking the first bite.

“Of course, it’s our Freed who baked the cake”, Ever giggled making Freed laugh.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it”, he smiled. “There are still some left so if you want, you can take the rest with you when you leave.”

“If that’s not too much to ask, I would love to!”

“Of course you can take the rest with you. Freed can make a new cake anytime he wants. And apparently he have started to like cakes much more lately”, Ever smirked making Freed roll his eyes. “There might be a new cake in the fridge soon.”

“Ever”, Freed said frowning.

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible”, Ever chuckled. “I’d say it’s likely.”

“That’s enough.”

Wendy looked confused and a little bit worried.

“Um… Is there something going on?” she asked timidly.

“Maybe”, Ever chuckled.

“Ever!” Freed scolded.

“Fine”, the brunette huffed. “But you know, she’s young, not stupid. She’s a dragon slayer too”, she said and Freed opened his mouth, but had to close it when he didn’t know what to say.

They looked at Wendy who seemed slightly embarrassed with red cheeks, looking at her piece of cake.

“I bet you know already what’s going on”, Ever giggled.

“I… I might… Have said something to Porlyusica...” Wendy stuttered blushing more fiercely. “When I noticed Freed’s scent was different...”

“Oh my god”, Freed sighed palming his face and Ever just laughed amused. “Please, Wendy, tell me you haven’t talked about this with anyone else.”

“N-no!” Wendy assured quickly.

“That’s good”, the rune mage sighed relieved.

“Porlyusica said I shouldn’t tell anyone and I agreed with her”, Wendy said. “I was surprised, though...”

“I bet you were, we were too”, Ever chuckled.

“Aren’t you a little bit too young to know things like these?” Freed huffed looking at the blue haired girl.

“Oh please, she’s not _that_ young anymore”, Ever said. “You’re just like many other men, thinking that she will always remain as a sweet little girl and you ignore the fact that she _will_ grow up and become a woman. Seriously, what are you and Laxus gonna do if your baby is a girl?”

Freed thought about it for a moment. Their little girl would be so cute and angelic, wearing beautiful dresses and maybe a golden locket on her neck and tiny little cute shoes on her feet. They would spoil her without a doupt, maybe she would have long blond hair, tied up in a high ponytail with a big orange bow. Oh god, even he knew what he was thinking was so stereotypical...

“Okay, you’re thinking her as a little girl”, Ever said leaning her chin against the palm of her hand. “Now think of her as a teenager. Rebellious, wearing clothes she wants to wear and they might be really revealing. She’s going on dates, not wanting to listen to you old farts who don’t understand her and only want to think her as a cute little girl, not as a young independent woman.”

Freed frowned a little, thinking about it for a second.

“I’m not feeling comfortable continuing this conversation”, he decided immediately.

“Men”, Ever said to Wendy and they giggled.

“I think I’ll go wake up Bickslow”, Freed grumbled and he went to the stairway.

He sighed to himself thinking about it. If they had a girl… It was slightly scary to think about it, but they could only do their best to raise her and let her be just like she would want to be. And they had Evergreen. She would help them out if there was something they couldn’t solve.

Ever was talking with Wendy, when suddenly they heard a shriek:  
“ _OH MY GOD_!!”

“And he’s thinking how they obviously have to tell their baby girl at some point about sex and stuff” Ever giggled and Wendy blushed again, trying to hide behind her cake plate.

 

The blizzard was so fierce it was almost impossible to say was it a day or a night. It had been going on around four days if Laxus wasn’t mistaken. Keeping time was hard when you were trapped in a small cottage you happened to find in the middle of nowhere. But he was glad the cottage was here, he would have frozen out there in the middle of snowstorm.

The blond grunted and put some more wood on the fire. He would soon run out of logs. Then he would just have to break the tables and chairs, everything he could find to keep himself warm. He wasn’t worried that the cottage’s owners would mind, it was obvious this place had been dumped for a long time ago. He had to use the old rugs he could find to cover the broken windows and the hay-filled mattress to cover the door that was almost completely broken.

Everything was going so smoothly until now. He was so sure he would be home earlier than in two months but then this fucking blizzard started. He could only hope it would subside soon so he could continue his mission.

Laxus laid down on the floor near the fireplace. He was worried. He had this uneasy feeling that everything was not alright with Freed. He had felt a strange tug in his magic – was it maybe around two weeks ago? - and he knew it was because something happened to Freed. He was so close to just drop everything and head back home right away, but then he felt that everything was fine again.

But now… He didn’t know how to describe it. He knew that something was going on and he wanted to go home, but he couldn’t. The lightning dragon slayer let out a grumbling small laugh when he imagined Freed’s face if he would return and tell him he dropped the mission. He would be so damn mad at him. It was always so amusing when Freed got mad, even if he never totally lost his temper.

Laxus let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He could only hope that everything would be alright. Bickslow and Ever were there to help if something happened and so were the whole Guild. But deep down he knew already that if there would be another tug like that in his magic… No way in hell he would just stay and ignore it.


	47. Chapter 47

It was a really cold early morning. There were dark clouds in the sky, shooting down sleet all around the town, making everything wet and slippery. There was no signs that the clouds would disappear at the rest of the day, so it was probably wise to just stay inside today.

Makarov put the newspaper on the table after reading it. Just then, the kettle on the stove announced that the water was boiling by a soft whistle so he hopped down onto the floor. He climbed on the stool and took the kettle from the stove, pouring the water in the teapot. He had his coffee, but he knew Freed wanted a cup of tea in the morning so he made it ready for him.

It had been a rough couple of days... It had been six weeks since the Thunder Legion had returned from their last mission. Bickslow was doing great, all thanks to Wendy and Porlyusica who managed to heal him completely back to normal. He did have big scars though, but it seemed like Bickslow didn’t care about it which was good.

Everything went really well until last week. Freed was lucky that his pregnancy didn’t yet show, at least not when he wasn’t wearing shirts too tight-fitting. He was able to still come to the Guild and not fear that someone might notice before he could tell Laxus. Makarov was worried he might get bored, not being able to go in to missions so he had given the rune mage some of the paperwork where he could help him. Of course, it was obvious that if Laxus would be the new Master of the Fairy Tail, Freed would probably be the one helping him as much as he could so it was a good thing that he get to know what kind of a paperwork there would be.

The old man sighed, while waiting for the tea to brew. The moment that started this downhill was when a week ago Erza had returned back to the Guild. Of course Freed was just as happy as everyone else when the red haired mage returned, but that seemed to make him think that Laxus would probably appear anytime soon too. He was so eager to see him, waiting patiently and hoping that Laxus would step inside the Guild Hall at any second.

That continued three days. When Freed finally realized that Erza’s return didn’t mean that Laxus would return soon too, he got depressed. When he didn’t show up in the Guild on the fourth day, Makarov went to see him and found him from the Laxus’ house and it pained him to see how the proud, strong man looked so utterly sorrowful and lost.

It was now obvious more than ever that the dragon slayers weren’t the only ones to suffer because of their dragonic instincts, their mates had their own share as well through the link that soulmate’s mark created. Freed seemed so sad and fragile when his soulmate was away and he did the best thing he could: He looked for the safest place he could find, where he could wait.

So here they were in Laxus’ house and Makarov had decided it was probably for the best if he stick around as well until Freed would feel better. Freed was obviously doing bad, not sleeping well and not eating enough. The old Master of Fairy Tail was worried that if he weren’t there to make some food, Freed would starve himself. Maybe dragons could go without eating through the whole pregnancy but obviously humans couldn’t.

Of course, Evergreen and Bickslow were also worried about the situation. But there was not much they could do. They tried to talk with Freed, cheer him up but there was hardly anything to make the swordsman even smile a bit. Most of the time Freed just laid on the bed, maybe not sleeping but he didn’t want to get up or go anywhere.

Makarov poured the tea on the cup and put it on the small tray. Then he headed towards the bedroom, knocked the door and opened it. The room was dim and he saw the lump on the bed, as Freed had snuggled himself under the covers, leaning against the pillows. Like nesting, Makarov thought silently. Guess it made him feel more safe so it was good.

He walked next to the bed and put the cup on the night stand. He looked at the breakfast he had done earlier and saw that at least Freed had eaten few bites of it. That was good also, he was worried he wouldn’t even touch the plate.

“I brought you some tea”, Makarov smiled softly and the lump slightly shifted. “I hope you’re feeling better after eating something. Is there anything you need, Freed?”

There was a silence for a moment.

“No...” he finally heard a quiet answer. “Thank you, Makarov.”

“You’re welcome, my boy”, Makarov said. “I’ll be in the living room if there is anything you need, just shout.”

“Yes...” came a slow sigh and Makarov stepped back to the hallway, closing the door.

It was really hard to see Freed like this. Freed might many times overthink things, but he was always a man who would not let depression take over him in the end. So this was really worrying and unusual of him, though who could blame him? If anything, Makarov only blamed himself, he was the one who send the Greenette’s mate away when he most desperately needed him by his side to support him.

At least he could help this much. He felt responsible to take care of Freed while Laxus was away. If this kept going on and Laxus wouldn’t show up... He had no other choice but to tell rest of the Guild what was the situation, why Freed wasn’t showing up at the Guild, why Makarov was staying with him in Laxus’ house and so on. Right now it was covered when he told Mirajane to take care of the paperwork because Freed was having cold and he felt responsible to help the man who would soon be part of the Dreyar family.

Makarov’s thoughts were cut when there was a knock on the door so he went to open it, seeing Bickslow standing there with his dolls.

“Good morning, Master”, he grinned.

“Good morning, Master!” the Tiki dolls greeted happily.

“Morning, Bickslow”, Makarov said letting the seith mage in from the rain. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah, how’s Freed doing?” Bickslow asked. He had found a new helmet for himself, though now it was only a visor that was hold in its place in front of his eyes by two leather straps. His blue and black wild hair was now wet because of the rain and you could clearly see two big scars at the left side of his head. “Has he finally gotten up from the bed?”

“I’m afraid no”, Makarov said shaking his head. “But he’s eating. Not much, but even a little bit is good.”

“Freed’s sad”, ‘babies’ sighed. “That’s no good.”

“We can only do our best to keep him company and make sure he eats”, Makarov said.

“I’ll go see him”, Bicks said. “Talk with him a little. I even brought him a book he could read”, he grinned pulling out a book from under his cape.

“That might cheer him up a little bit”, Makarov smiled. “It’s good that you and Evergreen want to help him.”

“Of course! We’re the Thunder Legion”, Bickslow cackled.

They went silent when they heard a stumble from the bedroom and looked at the door. Bare feet stepped on the floor coming closer and finally the door opened, revealing the rune mage who was wearing a pyjama pants and a loosen t-shirt. He looked exhausted and had dark circles under his eyes, green hair was tangled and the lightning bolt cowlicks looked like they were drooping.

“Oh...” he muttered surprised when he saw Bickslow. “Morning, Bicks.”

“Morning, baby”, the seith mage smiled. “How are you doing?”

“Good, I guess”, Freed murmured stepping in the hallway. “I just thought I need to go to the bathroom. Feeling nauseous...”

“We missed Freed”, ‘babies’ said, snuggling against the swordsman surprisingly tenderly, making him even chuckle a little bit.

“It’s nice to see you too”, he said and went to the bathroom.

Bickslow put his cape and shoes to dry and helped with Makarov to clean the kitchen while Freed was in the bathroom. After that, they were both happily surprised when Freed actually joined them in the kitchen.

“How is Evergreen doing?” he asked as he sat down and Makarov poured him some more tea.

“She’s on a mission today with Elfman”, Bicks said, eating what was still left of the breakfast Makarov had made.

“I see. I really feel bad that I can’t help you in any way to earn some money for the rent and the bills.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. Everything’s fine”, Bickslow assured. “And we were talking with Ever yesterday about our living arrangements.”

“Is there something wrong?” Freed asked worried.

“Nah, there isn’t but you’re not seriously thinking about to keep living with us when Laxus returns, baby?”

Freed blinked surprised and confused.

“That house is too big for just me and Ever”, Bickslow said. “There is no point keeping it if you’re moving in here. So we thought maybe we could rent a smaller house near here with Ever?” he grinned and Freed didn’t know what to say.

“That is not a bad idea”, Makarov nodded.

“We’re moving!” ‘babies’ cheered excitedly.

“When the house is smaller, the rent isn’t too big so we can find a house from this area with Ever.”

“What about Cana and Elfman?” Freed asked.

“Me and Ever both know it’s too soon for us to think living together with them and they agree”, Bicks said.

“Way too soon!” the Tiki dolls said.

“They can crash in our place anytime they want so it’s not a problem.”

“How are you two going to manage keep the house clean and take care of the bills just by yourselves?” Freed asked amused.

“We figure something out”, Bicks said. “And if it’s close enough, you can easily visit there anytime you feel like you’re bored and need something to do”, he snickered.

“Oh I see, that is the main reason why you want the house near here”, Freed chuckled and it was a relief to hear him finally start to slowly get over the depress.

They talked more for a while, until Freed was starting to feel overwhelmed. It was not like he wasn’t enjoying spending time with Makarov and Bickslow, but still it was like there were tiny little voice in his head that told him the safest place was in the bedroom. So using a slight headache as an excuse, he returned back to the dark room and closed the door.

He slumped on the bed and crawled in the middle, pulling the blanket over him and snuggled his face against the pillows. They smelled like Laxus and it was very soothing. But it still reminded him that Laxus wasn’t home and it saddened him, making it feel like someone was slowly tightening a robe around his neck and he clenched his teeth. He would not cry. He should be brave and just wait patiently. He promised that to Laxus. No matter how many weeks or even months it would take, he would wait and do his best to just make sure their baby would grow bigger and healthier.

Freed sighed. It was starting to show more. His pants felt tight and his normal shirts were slightly stretched around his waist. He hated it. He felt stiff and clumsy and he wasn’t used to it at all.

He huffed and shifted, taking better position and let himself doze off.

 

Makarov talked with Bickslow a while, until the seith mage headed back to their home. The old man sat on the couch and opened the lacrimavision, hearing how the wind howled in the windows and the sleet hit the glass with force. It really was a horrible weather…

For a good amount of time the only voice in the house was the lacrimavision. But when there were some noise at the door, Makarov stood up. He was just about to go see what was causing that rustle, when the door opened and his eyes widened.

Laxus stepped inside, completely drenched by the rain, shivering and he dropped the big bag on the floor.

“Laxus”, Makarov said both surprised and happy.

“Gramps”, Laxus grumbled and he just tossed his coat somewhere on the rack. He had some bandages around him what told there had been several big fights, but nothing too serious still. “They told me in the Guild that you were here.”

“Yes”, Makarov nodded. He noticed how tensed up Laxus was. It was like he was barely holding himself together, trying hard to keep his head cool.

He knew something was going on with Freed, without a doubt. Makarov was more than just impressed how his grandson was able to maintain himself, but he realised that Laxus obviously waited that they would quickly go through the reports and stuff.

“Technically, we should go to the Guild where I can then hear your report and read what the person who gave the quest had to say about you”, Makarov said and he saw how veins in Laxus’ neck grew bigger. He was just about to lose it. “But I think I owe it to you and Freed to close my eyes for a while so you can go see him. But tomorrow you have to appear in the Guild first thing in the morning”, Makarov said and Laxus nodded. “I will go then”, he said and took his coat from the rack. “I made dinner ready, you only need to heat it up if you want to eat.”

Laxus grunted something that sounded like “Thanks” and kicked shoes off his feet, heading towards the bedroom. He could smell Freed was there.

The blond had to use his last bits of self control so he wouldn’t just slam the door open. Instead he opened it silently and looked at the dark room. He heard how Makarov closed the front door, leaving them alone in the house. Laxus let the door open and walked next to the bed. Freed had covered himself completely with the blanket and he heard him breathing calm what told him he was sleeping.

The dragon slayer sat at the edge of the bed and gently he moved the blanket. He saw the green hair that was tangled and the familiar beautiful face that he had missed so much. But he growled when he noticed how his mate’s brows were slightly frowning even in his sleep. Was he seeing nightmares?

Laxus dropped the wet shirt and pants on the floor and moved the blanket more. He grabbed his mate in his tight embrace, finally feeling more relaxed. He tossed the warm blanket over them and run his fingers through that green hair, careful so he wouldn’t pull any strands. He buried his face in Freed’s neck and inhaled deeply.

It was Freed, yet he still smelled slightly different. Laxus pulled his head up and looked at his mate thoroughly, searching if there were injuries or was he sick or similar but he saw nothing. Yet still he noticed that Freed obviously had not eaten well and he looked really tired. It was alarming. He wanted to help him.

“Freed”, he murmured softly, caressing his cheek. There was no reaction and the calm breathing didn’t stop. Damn, sometimes Freed really did sleep like a log. He pulled the rune mage closer and petted his hair. “Freed”, he said again.

Freed shifted slightly and his breathing got uneven when he was finally waking up. Laxus watched how those long eyelashes fluttered, then opened and the turquoise eyes looked around still dazed because of waking up. It took a moment but Freed finally seemed to notice he wasn’t alone in the bed and lifted his gaze up, looking at Laxus.

The blond grinned wide at his mate.

“Hey, babe”, he greeted.

“Laxus...” Freed whispered still unable to believe this. Was he still sleeping? Was he missing Laxus so much he finally started to hallucinate?

“Missed you”, Laxus smiled and he kissed Freed gently. The Greenette just stayed still, until carefully he moved his hands, touching Laxus’ still cold and damp skin, caressing his neck and wet blond hair, as if he was scared that the Thunder God would disappear at any second.

Finally they pulled apart and for a moment they just stared at each other.

“When did you return?” Freed finally asked.

“Just a minute ago”, Laxus said. “I’ve been worried about you”, he said and hugged Freed again, this time he hugged back just as tightly.

“I’ve missed you too”, Freed whined feeling how tears already burned the corner of his eyes. “I’m so happy you’re home again.”

“Me too, babe”, Laxus smiled. “I don’t want to ever leave you like that again.”

“What about the mission? Did you talk with Makarov?” Freed asked worried looking at Laxus.

“Don’t worry, I talked with him. He told me to come to the Guild tomorrow. Today I’m planning to stay here with you and spoil you and cherish you”, he said with a smirk. “And make you eat more. Have you been sick?” he asked worried.

Freed blinked and suddenly he realised what was the next big step: Telling Laxus what was going on. He knew already something was going on but not what exactly. 

“Um… Something like that”, Freed muttered making Laxus’ frown.

“Did something happen?” he growled.

“Nothing bad happened, I swear”, Freed reassured. He sighed and dropped his head back to the pillow. “But… I don’t feel like talking about it just yet”, he said. “Right now I want to enjoy this moment, knowing that you’re back”, he smiled brushing Laxus’ cheek, running his finger across the jagged scar. He admired those beautiful orange eyes he had missed so much. “It can wait a while”, Freed smiled.

“Are you sure?” Laxus asked.

“I’m sure”, Freed said kissing the black tattoo on Laxus’ shoulder. “Just for an hour or two. Just like this. Enjoying how we can be together again.”

“I like that idea”, Laxus smiled. “That fucking mission took longer than I intended, but there were some hindrances.”

“You’re here now”, Freed smiled leaning his cheek against Laxus’ bare chest. “It was hard to just wait… Not knowing if you would ever return. But I wanted to believe in you, you said that you would return so I believed that. No matter how long it would take, I would wait.”

“You’re doing good, love”, Laxus praised kissing those green hair, making Freed smile happily. Laxus had no idea how good it felt to hear those words. “Let’s just stay here like this for couple of hours.”

“You’re cold.”

“Yeah, I know. There’s one seriously shitty weather out there to try walk anywhere.”

“Do you need a hot shower?”

“Nah, I’m good”, Laxus assured kissing Freed’s forehead. “I only need you.”

“I will warm you up”, Freed chuckled wrapping his arms around Laxus’ big body, making the dragon slayer laugh.

“I like that idea”, he smirked.


	48. Chapter 48

For two hours Freed and Laxus just cuddled at the bed and exchanged kisses and caressed each other. It was nice, nothing sexual, only gentle making out and enjoying how they finally after nine weeks were able to be together again. They didn’t care if there was storm outside or the wind felt like it was ready to blow away the roof of the house.

Freed smiled looking at the lightning dragon slayer, who had finally dozed off for a moment. It was clear that Laxus was more than just exhausted after the big mission. He couldn’t yet tell what all happened, not before he fist talked with Makarov about it, but it was okay. They had time to talk what all had happened while they were apart.

Carefully Freed opened one of the bandages in Laxus’ arm and examined the wound. Not deep, but still not just a scratch. He was happily surprised that Laxus had actually taken care of it like he should, not just splashing some water on it and saying that was enough. Freed crawled at the night stand and took out a little case, opening it. Inside there were ointment that would help to keep the wound clean and heal. After gently applying it on the wounds in Laxus’ arm, shoulder and chest he wrapped the bandages back on.

After that he silently stood up and stretched. He felt better than in many weeks! He was no longer constantly stressing or worried or anything. He was just happy that Laxus was home and relieved that his mate was not that badly hurt.

Freed quietly slipped out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. He dropped the clothes on the laundry basket and stepped on the shower. He wanted to do something really good for Laxus. Should he bake something? Laxus’ wasn’t really fond to sweet things… And there was no point making dinner since Makarov had already prepared something for them.

Freed hummed while washing his hair. He had been so depressed he hadn’t even showered properly for a couple of days. Slowly the tangles started to straighten from the green hair as he added some of the lavender oil in it.

Suddenly he heard someone grabbing the handle of the door and he got startled. He had locked the door after him and now he was glad he did it. It would be wonderful to have a shower together with Laxus, but… With no clothes to cover the slight roundness, Laxus would probably notice it right away, since the rune mage was always so strict to stay in a good shape. Freed just kept washing his hair and pretended like he didn’t notice at all. Luckily, the handle was left alone after that one attempt to try open the door. 

Freed stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel. He wrapped it around his hips and raised his fingers, drawing some runes in the air. He smiled when his magic was working and he felt a warm little breeze blow through his green hair, drying it. Then he grabbed his brush and started to brush his hair straight. It was never sure that his magic would work when he wanted. Sometimes it did without a problem just like it always had but sometimes he could do nothing. It was really frustrating for time to time. After every single knot was untangled, Freed pulled his hair up and tied it in a high ponytail.

He stepped beside the door and listened for a while the noises. Laxus was obviously doing something in the kitchen. He completely forgot to bring a change of clothes with him in the bathroom, so he should just quickly slip back to the bedroom and put something on.

Freed nodded to himself and silently he set some runes that would muffle all the sounds from everywhere but from the kitchen so Laxus couldn’t hear him. Then he opened the door and sneaked to the bedroom that were still dark but now empty.

He pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on, then he grabbed the orange hoodie that was laying around and pulled it over his head. Yes, this was good. He only needed pants anymore.

Freed looked around for a while in the darkness and when he turned, he saw Laxus and cried out loud because of the sudden appearance. Or he would have cried loud, but he couldn’t hear a thing because of the trap. He waved his hand and the runes vanished.

“You scared me”, he said still trying to calm his fast pounding heart.

“Sorry, didn’t think you would use your magic to sneak around”, Laxus said. He had dressed up already and was just about to eat something when he noticed the bathroom door had opened without him even hearing it. “What was that?” he asked frowning.

“I just didn’t want to wake you up, I thought you might still sleep”, Freed said still looking for pants.

“Like hell you did, you heard me when I tried to open the door, you stopped humming instantly at that moment”, Laxus said and Freed shivered. “Something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong, Laxus”, Freed assured.

“Why wasn’t I then allowed to enter? What are you hiding?”

“I… Umm...” Freed stuttered and now he was scared. Laxus wanted to know what was going on, he was worried. He had actually thought it many times how he should break the news to the lightning dragon slayer, but… Suddenly he just froze.

He was so scared that Laxus would react badly. What if he got angry? What if he would throw Freed out of his house? What if he never wanted to see him again?

Freed flinched when big fingers touched his chin and lifted his face up, making him look straight into those orange eyes that looked like burning cinder in the dim light of the bedroom.

“What is it, Freed?” Laxus asked calm, but demanding. He wanted to know what was going on. _Something_ obviously had happened, he didn’t just imagine it while he was away. “Seven weeks ago I felt a tug in my magic and I knew you were in danger. Are you okay?”

“W-what?” Freed said blinking. “No, I’m fine! We were against a big beast and Valdeghar had to use your magic.”

“Valdeghar?” Laxus asked. “Why him?”

“W-why? Uh… There were some troubles and Bicks was in a really bad shape, it was the only way to help him.”

“Why couldn’t you help? Were you hurt?” Laxus kept asking and Freed took a step backwards.

“It’s a little bit complicated”, he said.

“Were you hurt?” Laxus repeated growling. He knew Freed would squirm his way out of this and keep avoiding questions if he wasn’t straightforward with them.

“W-well, I can’t deny there wasn’t -” Freed started and was startled when Laxus grabbed his hand, rolling the sleeve up looking for signs of wounds or anything. “Laxus, I’m fine!” Freed assured pulling his hand away. “Seriously!”

“Then why aren’t you telling me what’s going on?” Laxus snarled grabbing his other hand but he found no wounds.

“Calm down”, Freed said. “There is no need to be like that. I can’t tell you anything if you won’t listen.”

Finally Laxus let go and stood there, ready to listen. Yet he was obviously not in a very patient mood. But Freed had already lost his words again.

“I’m waiting”, Laxus grunted looking at his mate who just stared at the floor, almost trembling.

“I-I…” Freed whispered, trying his hardest to think should he just bluntly blurt everything out or try to figure better words. “D-do you want some tea first?” he offered.

“The fuck?” Laxus growled raising his eyebrow.

“J-just to ease the situation a little?” Freed suggested. It would give him at least a little bit more time.

“That’s it. Get here, Justine”, Laxus snarled and Freed jumped away when he tried to capture Greenette with his hands. “Fucking grasshopper”, the blond grunted. “I gave you an order!” he roared and Freed jolted, stopping when his captain side automatically wanted to follow his commander’s orders.

He yelped when big hands grabbed him and shoved him on the bed, binding him down so he couldn’t squirm away that easily. But instantly Freed grabbed the hem of the hoodie before Laxus could pull it up.

“Laxus! We need to talk with time and peace”, he said.

“I gave you many changes but you didn’t tell me, so if you’re not going to be honest with me I’m just gonna see it myself what’s wrong”, Laxus growled. “Did that beast hurt you badly? Are you still recovering? Did it rip your chest and leave you with scars?”

“It has nothing to do with that beast!” Freed yelled his cheeks burning, eyes shut tightly.

“What? Was it something else? Did something else happen while I was away?”

“No!”

“Then what is it?!” Laxus shouted eyes sparking angrily, as he got more and more worried.

But he forgot his anger and got stunned when he suddenly heard sobs. He immediately stopped. Was Freed crying? Did he scare him? Or accidentally hurt him? Oh fuck! Did he really hurt his mate while angry?

Quickly Laxus run his fingers through long green locks and pulled Freed closer.

“It’s okay, love”, he murmured, trying to soothe him. “I’m sorry, I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have yelled. Are you hurt?”

“No...”

“Are you sure? I’m so sorry… I really didn’t mean to cause you any harm”, Laxus said and he felt guilty and ashamed. He made his mate cry. He was the worst boyfriend ever. “Shit, I shouldn’t have been so rough...”

“I-it’s alright...” Freed muttered.

“It’s not, you’re crying.”

“I’m not crying because of that”, Freed groaned rubbing his face with his hand and Laxus was confused. He had no idea anymore what was going on.

“Freed, seriously”, he said. “You have no idea how fucking _scared_ I am right now”, he murmured. “I don’t know what is wrong and I just want to help you. Please, tell me what it is.”

“It’s… Because…”

Freed’s throat hurt so badly, it was like he was choking. But he had to say it. He had to tell him. He had to force himself so he could even whisper something and Laxus leaned closer so he could hear what he tried to say.

“Pregnant?” the dragon slayer said when he understood what Freed was muttering. “I don’t get it”, he frowned trying to figure what Freed meant. Why was he saying something like that? “You don’t mean… You are?” he asked half jokingly, but the other part of him was so serious it was terrifying.

Freed’s head was buzzing as he had finally managed to say something but he couldn’t open his eyes and look at Laxus. He just sniffled, as he wasn’t anymore able to control his feelings. Whatever it was he was feeling, everything was just a big mess inside him right now.

“Y-yeah...” he sputtered nodding wearily.

There it was. Laxus knew. There was no going back anymore. Whatever would happen, he couldn’t stop it and he had to accept it, no matter how hard it would be. He just sank to lay on the bed like it could swallow him in it’s depths, he was too tired to do nothing more than just stay there, sobbing.

Freed’s other hand let go of the hem as he was too overwhelmed to try and fight back, when bigger hand raised the hoodie. He wanted to hide under the blanket, keeping his eyes shut when Laxus was observing his body. Last time he felt this embarrassed under Laxus’ stare was when they had sex for the first time.

He inhaled slightly when he felt rough hand gently touching his stomach. Those fingers were trembling so much it was almost ticklish.

“Shit...” Laxus gasped, feeling a bump. It was not yet big but he could feel it well. And he could see how before so sharp and gorgeous sixpack had started to… Well, not fade but soften in some way. “ _Oh_ _shit_.”

Freed snivelled quietly. The more time went by as they just stayed there, both not knowing what to do, the more he just wanted this to end. No matter what, even if Laxus would just throw him out of the house, he couldn’t just stay there being stared by his Thunder God. 

“Oh fuck...” Laxus muttered, finally sitting on the bed and he run his fingers through the blond hair. “I think I need one _really_ strong drink. No, maybe a whole bottle.”

Freed said nothing just wiping his face on his sleeve and he rolled on his side when he was finally free to do so.

“How is that… How can that even happen?” Laxus finally asked. And he was stunned by the fact that part of him didn’t even actually question was this really possible. It was like he knew it all along, but only just now realised it!

“Because of the dragon slayer magic...” Freed muttered. “The mating season activated this part of it…”

“But… How can two men…?”

“I don’t know, Porlyusica said something about how this magic doesn’t care about genders as long as there is a strong enough link between soulmates”, Freed sighed. His tears had stopped finally and he was too tired to even be scared anymore. “Something about how it is a way of survival. To make sure dragon slayers won’t vanish. It is possible that dragons have this same trait so it was passed to the dragon slayers with the rest of the magic they have… We still don’t know much about this.”

“Porlyusica knows about this?” Laxus asked.

“Yes. She examined me as well when Levy suspected she was pregnant”, Freed nodded.

“And Levy knows too?”

“Yes.”

“Who else?”

“Um… Naturally, me and Levy are not allowed to go into any missions anymore for a while and… Well, Porlyusica had to tell Master why.”

“So Gramps knows?” Laxus said eyes widened.

“Yes...” Freed nodded, hoping that Laxus wasn’t angry. “It was necessary to tell him, he is the Master of Fairy Tail.”

“Oh fuck!” Laxus groaned holding his head. “I don’t know what the hell I should think. I have _never_ thought about having kids.”

“Me neither”, Freed sighed. “At least we are both just as lost with this.”

“Are you absolutely sure about this? You’re not just getting fat?”

The suggestion was so sudden and odd after all what Freed had said, he actually burst into laughter. He knew he probably should feel offended or whatever but he couldn’t, maybe he was tired enough to find even that lame question funny. No, he didn’t laugh because of the question, he laughed because of the serious tone Laxus had when he asked it.

Freed tried to calm himself quickly, still giggling a little and he finally looked at Laxus. Then he laughed more when he saw that confused, worried and annoyed expression in his scarred face.

“What?” Laxus snarled making the rune mage only laugh harder. “Are you fucking joking?”

“N-no”, Freed chuckled trying to calm himself. “I just… You look so...” He buried his face on the pillow laughing hard again.

“Look what?” Laxus growled. “How would you look like if you came home after over two months and found your _male_ lover pregnant?”

“Wouldn’t that then be you?” Freed asked and thought about how it would look like.

“Don’t picture it in your head, you ass!” Laxus yelled his cheeks red as Freed was laughing for the mental image.

Laxus huffed and crossed his arms, waiting until Freed finally started to calm. His look was annoyed, but inside he felt really relieved to hear his mate laughing again. For a minute there, he was almost ready to kick himself because he made him cry. He had really missed that face and voice, no matter how bizarre this situation was.

Freed let out a couple of small chuckles still and wiped tears from his eyes.

“Are you finally done?” Laxus grumbled.

“I guess”, Freed smiled. “I really needed that.”

“Seems so.”

The rune mage looked at Laxus.

“Are you angry?” he asked.

It took a while, as Laxus stared at somewhere far.

“Not angry”, he finally said. “Just… Fucking confused, that’s all”, he sighed rubbing his face and ruffled his hair. “When someone suddenly tells you something like that…”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “It was a big shock for me too.”

Laxus sighed and he slumped on the bed.

“So… A kid, huh?” he muttered.

“Yes”, Freed nodded, laying just beside him, both staring at the ceiling now. “Can you imagine?”

“No, not before I have that drink”, Laxus snorted. “Does Bicks and Ever know?”

“Yes, I had to tell them, they were worried.”

“Good. They were here when I couldn’t be.”

Freed turned his head towards Laxus, who kept staring ahead.

“I was worried”, he confessed. “Of what you would say… I still am.”

“I guess I would be too”, Laxus murmured. “That was one hell of a bulletin. I was so close to just grab my coat and head to the nearest bar and drink until I wouldn’t know anymore if it was next day or last week.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had done that. Why didn’t you leave?”

“You were crying”, Laxus huffed and his cheeks reddened slightly. “I can’t just leave when you’re crying. It’s not something you do often, not like that. Sounding so sad, scared and lost… I don’t know what I felt, was I terrified or what, but I couldn’t just walk away.”

“You big softie”, Freed chuckled.

“Shut up, bitch”, Laxus snickered. “I still don’t know what the hell I should do, but walking away is out of the question.”

“I’m not forcing you to anything”, Freed assured. “You can do whatever you want.”

“You know what I don’t wanna do?” Laxus grumbled. “I don’t wanna be like my own bastard dad, not giving a shit about what family really is and stuff. But how could I be better father when I had him as my role model?”

“Who says you can’t be like Makarov then? He’s your grandfather”, Freed smiled. “Most important thing is that you do what feels right and find your own way how to be father.”

“That’s going to be hard, being a parent.”

“It is. But I’ve heard it’s all worth it. Just take your time to fully digest this, I’m not pressuring you into anything. If you don’t want to get involved, I will respect your choice.”

“Wouldn’t that make me an asshole?” Laxus grunted. “Leaving you to take care of the kid all by yourself?”

“I still have Fairy Tail”, Freed smiled. “I won’t be completely alone. I just don’t want to force you, I’ve never wanted to -”

“Shut up, like hell I’m gonna leave you and our kid.”

Freed smiled brightly when hearing that. He wasn’t that scared anymore. Laxus obviously needed still lots of adjusting in this but he looked really determined to not just turn his back.

“I think you’re going to be a great father”, he assured. “Just believe in yourself more. But you will not grow a mustache as you get older and start staring at hot young guys at the beach.”

“Hell no!” Laxus laughed.

Silence landed and they kept staring at the ceiling, both thinking about the changes there would be in their lives.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Laxus?”

“Wouldn’t you then be a mother?” Laxus chuckled and Freed blushed.

“I guess...” he huffed.

“Suits you, you’ve always acted so motherly, taking care of everything and everyone.”

“I don’t know if I still would want to be called a mother...” Freed muttered crossing his arms and Laxus laughed.

“Mama Freed… Sounds about right”, he smirked and was kicked down from the bed.

“Thin ice, Dreyar. Thin ice”, Freed warned. “I don’t want Bickslow to start calling me that.”

“I’m sorry, love”, Laxus smirked climbing back on the bed and kissed Freed softly. “Just teasing you a little.”

“You’re forgiven. This time”, Freed said smiling a little. He had stressed about telling this to Laxus so much, so when he finally had told it, how he didn’t need to lie or hide or try to come up with excuses anymore… He was happy. He never wanted to lie to his Thunder God or keep secrets from him. And it was a relief how well Laxus took the news in the end. Well… At least million times better than what Freed had feared he would.

 


	49. Chapter 49

In the next morning, Freed looked at himself from the mirror, tied his hair, checked that everything was in order and gave himself an approving nod and he was ready to head to the Guild. It was all thanks to Porlyusica’s herbal tea that he wasn’t hugging the toilet all morning feeling sick. It didn’t always work, but today was obviously a good day.

Freed buckled his belt and straightened his sword, then he stepped in the bedroom.

“Laxus, seriously, you need to get up”, he scolded folding his arms, looking at the blonde who was still laying in the bed. He heard nothing but sleepy growling that almost instantly turned into snore. “Master is waiting for you to appear at the Guild. It’s already nine o’clock”, Freed said and he pulled away the blanket.

“Don’t care...” Laxus grumbled not opening his eyes.

“You should care. Are you going to ruin everything, make that whole two months being apart worthless just because you’re a little sleepy? I made you coffee ready in the kitchen and a breakfast, so eat, take a shower, shave your stubble and dress up.”

“I hate it when you’re that dutiful for the first thing in the morning…”

“At least someone has to make sure you complete your mission with honour. Now get up, I have to go so make sure you won’t take too long.”

“What? Wait, where are you going?” Laxus asked finally lifting his head from the pillow, blond hair a total mess. “Why are you leaving?”

“We can’t arrive at the Guild together”, Freed noted and he stepped at the hallway. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“They know already I’m back”, Laxus yawned and he stood up. “We could go together.”

“No, Master clearly said you are not allowed to take contact with anyone from the Guild before your mission is over. He was kind to give you an exception so we could meet, but now you have to obey the rules again. After I walk through that door, we cannot interact before you talk with Makarov, give him your report and complete your mission.”

Laxus watched how Freed zipped up his boots and straightened himself. He pulled his arms around the smaller man.

“I don’t want you to go alone”, he murmured.

“I’ll be fine”, Freed smiled touching the lightning mage’s cheek. “I’m just walking to the Guild. When the mission is over, you can follow me around until I’m sick of your overprotective dragon side.”

“Too bad you just have to tolerate it”, Laxus snickered. “’Cause I’m not gonna stop no matter how much it annoys you.”

“Lucky me. Now I need to go”, Freed said but big strong arms didn’t let him go. “I mean it, Laxus.”

Finally Laxus let go of him, but with a disapproving grunt. Freed just smiled.

“I’ll see you soon”, he said opening the door. “Just don’t go back to sleep”, he chuckled and stepped outside the door, starting his journey towards the Guild.

 

Freed arrived at the Guild and looked around. Seemed like everything was normal. He walked towards the bar counter and smiled when Mirajane spotted him.

”Good morning”, Mira said happily.

”Good morning, Mirajane”, Freed said and he sat on the bar stool.

“So?” the white haired mage smiled leaning over the counter, clearly waiting for Freed to say something.

“So... What?” Freed asked.

“Did you see Laxus yet?” Mirajane said. “He returned yesterday.”

“Oh...” Freed said blinking his eyes. He did not expect someone to actually ask him about this straightforwardly. He was not prepared for this. Should he lie? He was terrible at that...

Mira chuckled.

“I can see et miles away that you did see him”, she said mischievously, making Freed blush. “Don’t worry, I wont tell anyone”, she giggled.

“I appreciate that, Mira”, Freed said.

“But I’m surprised! You of all people breaking the rules!”

“We didn’t. We had Master’s permission to meet up”, Freed smiled.

“Oh, then it’s of course okay”, Mirajane said and she was glad that Makarov had given his permission for this exception in rules. He had been so worried of the rune mage. Freed had been acting really weird lately, she wasn’t the only one to notice that. “So where is he now?”

“I told him to shower up and shave and eat the breakfast first”, Freed said. “He should be here around half an hour or so.”

“That’s nice. Do you want something?”

“A cup of tea would be nice.”

“Coming right up, Freed”, Mirajane smiled and turned to make tea. “I actually have new tea leaves, would you like to try it? It’s said to be really healthy.”

“I guess there’s nothing wrong to try something new”, Freed nodded. And if it was healthy, that was good.

He watched around the Guild hall while Mira brewed the tea. It was oddly quiet. He took a look at the mission board and was surprised. It was almost empty.

“Everybody on a mission?” he asked when Mira gave him the cup of tea.

“Yes”, she nodded. “I’m honestly surprised you’re still just sitting around.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you want to take part of the S-class trials this year?” Mirajane asked surprised, making Freed jolt. Oh! The S-class trial would start soon! There were only two months left! Of course everyone would make as much missions as they could now until then.

“It slipped out of my mind completely”, he confessed. “No wonder it’s so empty here.”

“Every time I get new mission sheets, everybody disappears just like that”, Mira chuckled. “There’s hardly anything left, only some missions that nobody wants to do. Like helping at the theatre.”

“I wouldn’t go there even if that were the last mission on earth”, Freed sighed.

“There will be new mission sheets again in couple of days”, Mira smiled. “Do you want me to look something specific for you?” she offered. Freed had completely missed the head start so it was fair to pick some mission sheets for him first.

“That would be most kind, Mira”, Freed smiled, but then the reality hit him hard.

No. He couldn’t take any missions. He wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the S-class trials even if he would do missions. There was just no way he could do anything without breaking the rule what Porlyusica set for him and Levy.

He sighed.

“But that is not necessary”, he said looking at his cup. “Thank you for your kindness, Mira.”

“Are you sure?” Mirajane asked worried. “You haven’t done anything since you came back from the mission with Evergreen and Bickslow. Are you still worried that Bickslow might not be able to handle it? He actually went on the mission with Cana and Evergreen with Elfman and Lisanna.”

“Really?” Freed asked.

“I was surprised too. I couldn’t believe they left you out. But I guess they had reasons?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded. “It’s alright, Mira. I’m glad they went to do some missions”, he smiled, though slightly sad and Mira couldn’t miss that.

She wanted to ask Freed more about what was going on, but the rune mage stood up and took his tea, heading towards the stairs. Guess he didn’t want to talk about it... But just in case, she should maybe pick something out, something Freed and Laxus could do together now that he was back.

Freed sat on their usual table and opened newspaper he had snatched from another table. But he hardly could concentrate in anything, only thinking about the S-class trials. It was frustrating, not be able to take part of it. But he knew it was for his own good... There was no way he could fight when his magic was so unstable and he never could know would it work or not.

But he was curious who would get picked this year. Maybe he wasn’t able to join in, but he hoped that Bickslow or Ever would get a shot in it. He also kinda hoped that Elfman or Cana would have a change too. He run his fingers through the green hair. It wasn’t long ago when he was actually planning how to work this year so he could be one of the participants...

The little surprise really did mess up his plans. But he wouldn’t complain, it was a good little surprise, even though it shocked him and Laxus almost out of their minds. He chuckled sipping his tea, thinking how he should ask Laxus if they should think baby names that meant surprise or similar.

 

Around half an hour later the Guild doors opened again and Freed took a look at the first floor. He smiled when he saw Laxus, looking around. The blond haired mage just walked through the Hall, muttered some mornings to Mira and headed towards the stairs.

When he got up, their eyes met and Freed smiled and nodded. Laxus returned the gesture and kept walking to the hallway, towards the Makarov’s office. Soon this mission would be officially over and he could focus only on Freed. 

Laxus stepped at the door and pounded it with his fist. Then he waited a moment and finally he just shoved the door open and looked around.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he grunted looking at the old man who was snoring in deep sleep behind his desk.

Laxus slammed the door shut and that made Makarov wake up.

“Eh? What? Huh?” he said and finally noticed Laxus. “Oh, Laxus. So you finally came, my boy”, he laughed.

“I would be still sleeping if Freed didn’t drag me up to come here. But if I knew you were sleeping here yourself, I wouldn’t have bothered to come yet”, Laxus grumbled.

“You’re still young, Laxus. My age gives me benefits like falling asleep during the day when I want and nobody can blame me”, Makarov chuckled. “So, do you have everything with you?” he asked.

Laxus took out the small binder and gave it to his grandfather.

“Is that all?” he asked. “You know, I could have just given that to you at my house.”

“Some customs must be followed, Laxus”, Makarov said. “They might not always make sense, but we still need to follow them. I already extended the rules by letting you meet up with Freed. But that I saw necessary as I felt like I owed it to him, he had a really rough time.”

Laxus sat on the chair and muttered something.

“I’m glad you were there with him”, he finally said.

“I take that as you know the situation?” Makarov said lifting his eyebrows.

“I know.”

“That’s good. And you don’t look like a powder keg, that’s even better”, Makarov smiled. “You must feel confused, my boy.”

“Can’t deny that...” Laxus muttered.

“That’s okay. Becoming a father, that’s something nobody can really digest just like that. No matter was it a good thing or a bad thing or if you don’t even know that to think. It is always a surprise. I’m really happy for you, Laxus”, Makarov smiled softly.

“Not sure if you should be”, Laxus snorted. “Don’t know how this is gonna turn. I don’t exactly think I could be a good father, no matter what Freed says.”

“No-one is perfect, remember that. We all make mistakes, even us parents. And if you feel like you don’t know what to do, just turn to us, your family and we will help you and Freed in the best way we can”, Makarov assured. “How is Freed doing?”

“He’s here at the Guild, he seems relaxed now.”

“That is good. Soon you two have to announce this thing so everyone knows and can help.”

“I guess. But it can still wait a while. First I need to fully understand this myself and I think it might still take couple of days or something like that”, Laxus huffed. “So when are you going to announce the next Master?”

“When it’s time”, Makarov said. “For first we need to take care of the S-class trials. If everything goes as planned, next year it would be you or Erza to organize the next trials. I can stay and help with it, but I won’t make any of the final decisions.”

“Things are really going to change”, Laxus said. “So much in a short time.”

“Sometimes it takes years before something changes, sometimes all the changes happen in one short time”, Makarov smiled. “Alright, your mission is now completed. You are dismissed.”

Laxus stood up and opened the door, stepping out on the hallway. Soon he appeared back at the second floor and smiled when he noticed Freed was still sitting at the same table, waiting.

“How did it go?” the rune mage asked putting away the newspaper.

“Quicker than I thought”, Laxus shrugged and he sat down. “We’re gonna hear who’s the next Master after the S-class trials.”

“Sounds good”, Freed smiled. “Fairy Tail gets a new S-class wizard and a new master. I hope we have a good competition this year in the trials, I’m hoping Bicks and Ever might have a chance”, he said.

“Don’t know about Ever yet, but Bicks has a good change to get picked. He has trained a lot and done missions through the whole year like a maniac.”

“It all now depends if Master sees him suitable yet to be an S-class wizard”, Freed huffed. “He’s still way too carefree and not always thinking about the consequences. Being an S-class wizard is not just being strong.”

“I’m sorry you can’t take part in it this year”, Laxus said patting Freed’s hand, making the rune mage smile.

“I’m alright, Laxus”, he reassured. “This is not the last year with S-class trials. Few years and I’m sure I can try again.”

“I’m sure you’ll pass it then”, Laxus smirked kissing Freed’s cheek. “You’re strong enough to become an S-class wizard anytime.”

Freed chuckled.

“That makes me feel better”, he said. “So, what do you want to do now? I can’t go in to missions but I can’t stop you if you want to go. And I won’t be mad if you do”, he smiled.

“Nah, not interested”, Laxus said. “I’ll stay in Magnolia with you, don’t wanna let anything happen. I don’t need to think about the S-class trials since I’m already an S-class wizard. I’m waiting more for the next Grand Magic Games tournament”, he smirked.

“Oh?” Freed chuckled. “You’re not usually that excited about these things. Planning to make sure you will make in the Team Fairy Tail?”

“You bet”, Laxus grinned. “Gonna make sure our Guild is the strongest, wanna make our kid proud of being part of Fairy Tail.”

“I’m sure that’s not a problem”, Freed smiled. “But aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“If you’re Master, you can’t participate in the Team”, Freed reminded and made Laxus drop his head in disappointment.

“I really hope Erza is the next Master”, the blonde muttered.

“We’ll see”, Freed smiled. “No-one can say what Master Makarov might decide in the end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Yes, I know, this chapter is really lazily written, I’m sorry T-T But right now it feels like I’m slowly dying because my throat hurts so bad I can barely swallow and I have a fever so I hope you guys understand. I just wanted to apologise. Next chapter will be the 50th! I’ll do my best to get better soon but it is possible that the next chapter will arrive later than usually, it all depends when I will get better. And for those who are also reading my other story, Purple runes in my memories, it is highly possible I just can’t make a new chapter for this week at all, I’m so sorry.  
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments and your support! I love you my adorable little babies! ^^


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! ^^ Well, it’s finally time for the chapter 50! My, this story really got out of hands, I just can’t stop writing. But that’s alright, since I really enjoy writing it. I’m doing much better now, no more fever or pain or anything but I still can’t go back to work for the rest of the week. So I guess there’s nothing else to do than write :D Not that I complain. Thank you for all of your support, comments, kudos and reading this story! I was really hoping I could give you something more since it’s the 50th chapter, an extra-long chapter or even some drawing or similar but well… I hope you’re not really disappointed ^^’ Anyway, let’s continue the story!

Telling the news to the Guild was more easier than Freed actually thought. He was scared that maybe his pregnancy was too odd even for the Fairy Tail to understand but once again he was happily surprised by the fact of how open and acceptive their Guild was. They were happy to hear there would be another new little fairy to join in their wild lines. And when the most of the members were back from their missions, there were big party because for Fairy Tail, that was the obvious thing to do when someone had good news like this.

Probably the one most happiest for them was Master Makarov, who kept repeating how glad he was to be able to see his great-grandchild before he would drop dead. And Dreyar-line would live again yet another generation. Freed just smiled thinking about it. Of course their child would be a Dreyar. Justine was a nice name, he would probably change his name to Justine-Dreyar, but their child would definitely be a Dreyar, that was what he wanted. It would be too confusing for the child to keep both surnames.

“Here we are and everything ended well”, Levy smiled sitting next to Freed.

“Yes”, he chuckled. “Better than I could even imagine.”

“Laxus seems proud”, Levy smiled looking at the lightning dragon slayer, who was arguing loudly with Gajeel about something.

“He seems drunk”, Freed laughed. “But I forgive him that.”

“Of course you do”, Levy giggled. “And it seems like they still get along with Gajeel. Though, we should still be careful.”

“Yes. This is only the beginning. Who knows what might still happen”, Freed said, looking how Natsu barged in and then Gray and they were followed by others. “But right now they are acting just like before”, he smiled. “Or not completely, I think I have never seen Laxus that happy to join in the fight with others. He usually doesn’t want to get involved.”

“He’s a little bit too proud to do something childish like that.”

“That is quite true. It is nice to see him having so much fun.”

Levy looked at Freed and smiled.

“Do you think the little ones might inherit the dragon slayer magic?” he asked.

“I don’t believe it will happen just like that”, Freed said. “But I do believe they have far more bigger chance to be able to maintain such a power. This magic is from dragons, but dragon slayers are still just humans. It is of course obvious that dragon hatchlings will inherit the dragon magic because it’s in their blood, but dragon slayers are not related to their dragons, only taught by them with this magic.”

“Except for Laxus”, Levy reminded and Freed nodded.

“That actually crumbles the theory that dragon slayer magic can only be taught by dragons. Even if people would say Laxus is not a real dragon slayer because his power came from lacrima, the results are still the same. He may not be taught by a dragon, but he still has a part of his dragon inside him. He’s self taught, just like there must have been dragon hatchlings who were orphaned and they had to learn everything by themselves. It is harder than being taught by someone, but if they survive it makes them stronger than most of the others. There must be thousands of lacrimas out there just like Laxus’ own, hidden somewhere far, forgotten by time.”

“If that is true, there might appear more people in time who have that lacrima just like him”, Levy gasped.

“That is always a possibility. Aren’t Master Sting and Rogue also implanted with dragon lacrimas?”

“If I remember correctly, yes”, Levy nodded.

“So that proves there are more of them. We just don’t know where, how many and what kind. I heard Ivan went through great difficulties to get that dragon lacrima for Laxus.”

For Freed, it was never an easy task to speak about Ivan, even though he had never done anything directly to him. But he did harm Laxus, didn’t even care if Laxus would die… And that he would never forgive to that bastard.

Freed huffed and looked at the blue haired mage and smiled.

“But if my theory is correct, I’m pretty sure dragon slayers are capable to train their offspring to become dragon slayers too. They are the ‘modern dragons’ of this era. I don’t know if they will inherit the same power as they have, but what do we exactly know right now?” he laughed.

“Do you wanna hear what I think?” Levy smiled and Freed nodded. “I at least like to think that in the future, Gajeel can teach his magic for our little ones. They might inherit the thought, the source, the ability to use it and then they can let it shape into what their magic naturally is. Our child might not be an iron dragon slayer, maybe they are a script dragon slayer? Or something else on their own?”

“That does make sense”, Freed smiled. “Ours could as well be a rune dragon slayer. I kinda like that idea”, he chuckled. “But whatever happens, even if they don’t inherit that power, everything will be fine as long as they are healthy and they have us and Fairy Tail.”

“Of ourse that goes without even saying”, Levy giggled. “They always have their family here, no matter if they even want to change the Guild someday.”

“Yes. Most importantly, they should live their lives for themselves, not for someone else and try to fulfill the expectations of the family or similar”, Freed said and sighed to himself. He really hoped that their child would never need to have anything to do with Zaldevils.

 

After that party, Fairy Tail kept fighting over every mission sheet they could get day after day. Freed was more than surprised how determined Bickslow was to have his chance in the trials and of course he was cheering for him. Ever had a good start, but she seemed to lose her interest in the midway.

“It’s been a while since I last time just sat aside and watched how others do their best to get in the trials”, Freed said as they were sitting outside, in the training ground near the waterfall.

“I know, it’s like everyone has gone mad”, Ever laughed. They looked at Laxus and Bickslow who were training once again. “Bickslow is really doing his best.”

“Yes, I don’t think I have ever seen him this devoted to his goal.”

“I’m actually wondering why he is suddenly doing all this”, Ever said and Freed looked at her confused. “He has always spoken about being an S-class wizard someday, but now he’s clearly doing ten times more work to achieve it than any other year before.”

“Who can ever tell what goes on in his head”, Freed huffed. “I just hope he won’t exhaust himself.”

“You know how he can be when he decides something”, Ever said.

“I know… Maybe that fight with the suo-kaapu shook him more than he is willing to admit.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bickslow is strong, I would never doubt that”, Freed said, watching how the seith mage with his ‘babies’ did their best to win Laxus. “It was probably because of that beast’s roar but Bicks couldn’t do much to even scratch it, though he did sunk a stick in it’s nose. And it took only one hit to send him fly and almost die. I couldn’t do anything so he had to fight for both of us. But if Valdeghar hadn’t helped us out… Who knows, we might be both dead. Can you imagine how he must have felt when he realised that?” Freed sighed.

“Poor Bicks...” Ever said. “He must feel like he’s not strong enough or even good enough. Now he wants to get stronger and better so something like that would never happen again. He knows you’re the captain and I can take care of myself, but he’s still the big brother, he should be able to cover us if we need him”, she reasoned.

“I believe you hit the mark with that”, Freed nodded. “Now he desperately wants to get stronger.”

“Can we help him any way? Make him understand that training like this and doing missions non-stop… It’s not good for him. He might get to the trials, but what’s the point if he’s then too drained to do anything?”

“We have to talk with him. Bicks is a smart man in his own way, we can reason this to him. We can’t just tell him to stop, he wont listen us with that. But… Maybe we could do our best to help him to improve. You and Laxus can always train with him, I could maybe go through some books in the library and see if I could find something useful for him, and we can make sure he eats healthy and well. And rests.”

“You could teach him how to create good strategies”, Ever smirked. “That is your well-known speciality in our Guild.”

“Something like that cannot be taught in just six weeks”, Freed laughed. “But I could do my best. In the days when he needs rest, I could teach him what I found from the books. This is going to be interesting for me as well, I haven’t yet read anything about his magic.”

“Then it serves both ways”, Ever smiled.

She stretched her arms.

“They might still continue that at least an hour or two, I might as well take a nap”, she said and Freed chuckled.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea”, he admitted. “And it is a nice day, not too cold yet to take a nap outside”, he said and leaned against the tree behind him.

Ever smiled and she laid down comfortably on the grass, leaning her head against Freed’s side.

“Cute little tummy”, she giggled making Freed blush.

“It’s not your pillow, you know?” he muttered.

“I know, sweetie, but it’s still cute. I won’t rest my head too much against it”, Ever promised happily closing her eyes, making Freed huff and the rune mage also shut his eyes.

 

Freed opened his eyes when he felt chills run down his spine. Why was it so cold suddenly? He grunted slightly changing his position, trying not to wake up Ever but noticed she wasn’t there anymore. Now confused, he opened his eyes and looked around.

He didn’t see Ever nor Laxus and Bickslow. There was no-one but him in the whole area. Where did they go? Why didn’t they say anything?

Freed stood up and observed the scene more. Alarm went off in his head and he narrowed his eyes. Was this again one of those nightmares? He had seen them so much lately he was almost one hundred percent sure this was just a dream. Ever, Bicks and especially Laxus wouldn’t just leave like that. If they didn’t want to wake him up, Laxus would probably carry him back home but he would not just leave him here alone.

The rune mage shivered when again he felt like a frigid breeze run past him, yet there was no wind. It did not rustle the leaves or bend the grass, but the coldness still hit him like it was in middle of the winter. This had to be one of those nightmares. But it didn’t seem the same as before. Everything was too normal, not ridiculously shaped surreal mess. So who was behind this nightmare then?

Freed stepped deeper into the centre of the training ground and looked around but he didn’t spot anything that was out of the normal. Only that Laxus, Ever and Bickslow weren’t here.

He flinched when suddenly he heard like a whisper, coming from somewhere from the forests. He quickly grabbed his sword and was pleased to notice it was normal, not just some jelly like in the nightmares with that other demon. He raised his fingers and drew some runes, but as he suspected, they disappeared right away. 

Another hissing whisper echoed from the forest and Freed tried to locate where it came from. He saw how slowly and silently somekind of fog started to rise above the trees, curling and floating around like clouds. He stepped back and noticed that fog also appeared under the trees, wriggling under the bushes and slithering over the grass like snakes.

When it came closer, he heard how tiny crackling filled slowly the air. Freed looked suspiciously at fog that slowly moved closer, swallowing the forest in its depths, away from his sight. The rune mage looked closer at the grass and noticed how it turned white after fog touched it.

Hoarfrost. Fog covered everything in beautiful white hoarfrost, making it freeze still. Quickly Freed stepped further, as he could guess it was not a good idea to touch that. Not even once yet had he actually been attacked in his dreams directly, but he still didn’t want to try if it was possible for the demon to do so. Whoever the demon was now.

As Freed moved, it seemed like the fog stopped for a moment. But then it started to move quicker, more determined. Like a snake looking for something to eat, sensing Freed’s heat waves and seeing him as a prey when he moved. Freed quickly turned around and ran away from it.

The swordsman ran through the forest towards the waterfall. Fog followed him, turning everything into a beautiful glimmering sculptures, before everything disappeared as more fog surged over covering everything.

Finally he got to the waterfall, looking around what he should do next. In his dreams, he always just ran away until he would wake up or stay still and stare at his opponent. But now he hadn’t even seen the demon that was causing this nightmare. But surely just a hoarfrost wouldn’t be able stop the fierce power of waterfall? Even if it wasn’t that big. So this place felt safest for now.

Freed looked around and noticed the fog did not follow him behind the rocks. He could still see how it was floating over the forest, but it didn’t come over the tiny cliffs that surrounded the waterfall almost completely, leaving only two narrow passes. One where Freed just came in and the other where the water would join with the main river.

The air got even colder and Freed shivered, his breath misting in the air. Even the noise from the waterfall sounded like it was muffled because of the fog that was surrounding the forests, not yet entering the area that was circled by the rocks and cliffs. 

But slowly Freed heard the same crackling approaching and he looked at the stream that flowed away to the main river. It started to slowly get covered by the hoarfrost. As the fog finally started to slither down the cliffs, the hard rock walls turned also white.

Freed looked around but there was no longer way to escape. He was trapped. He watched in horror how slowly the water stopped pouring down the waterfall as it was covered with the frost. He tried to move away, find a place where he could still stand but here and there new patches of the ground started to fill with hoarfrost.

Until there were only left the place where the rune mage was standing. And slowly, the crackling sound louder than ever, that spot was getting smaller and smaller until he felt how the coldness was hurting his feet. His black boots started to turn white and the panic filled his guts. What would happen now? Would he actually get hurt? He could feel the coldness, would he freeze to death and never wake up from this nightmare?

As the coldness started to numb his limbs, it was harder to stand anymore. Finally he had to take a step back, even if it was a bad idea and his leg slipped on the hoarfrost, making him fall.

 

Laxus stared at his mate worried, wrapping his dark coat better around Freed. The rune mage didn’t wake up and he was pale. So pale it was terrifying and his skin felt cold to touch.

“Freed”, he said again trying to gently slap those white cheeks. “Freed, wake up.”

“What’s with him?” Bicks asked worried.

“Owie! Freed’s cold!” ‘babies’ said.

Laxus growled and he was just about to pick Freed up and ran to see Porlyusica, but then the smaller man suddenly opened his turquoise eyes and panted like he was almost drowned.

“Freed”, Laxus said relieved pulling him closer. “It’s okay. You were dreaming. You’re awake now.”

“I-it’s… Cold here...” Freed jittered.

“Are you feeling sick?” Ever asked worried, sitting on Freed’s other side.

“No...” Freed muttered shaking his head. “Just… Cold right now.”

“I’ll bring you home right now”, Laxus said and he stood up, carrying his mate on his arms. “Bickslow can fetch Porlyusica to come see you.”

“N-no”, Freed said quickly. “There is no need… I’m starting to warm up”, he assured. “Everything is fine now.”

“Like hell everything’s fine!” Laxus snarled. “Something happened, we will find out what it was.”

“I know what it was”, Freed sighed, making others confused. “It was one of the demons that belong to Zaldevil family.”

“Demon?” Ever asked.

“It is a long story”, Freed said tiredly. Laxus was the only one he had mentioned this and even he didn’t know much yet. “I didn’t actually see that demon but in my dream there were fog everywhere and it covered everything in hoarfrost where it touched.”

“If you didn’t see it, how can you be so sure it’s some demon?” Bickslow asked.

“Because one other has been causing me nightmares for a while already...”

“For a while?” Laxus said. “And you didn’t say anything?”

“I wasn’t sure if it would be necessary. My grandfather is plotting something. I need to find out what it is and -”

“No!” Laxus forbid. “You’re not going to do anything. If that old fucker is doing something like this to you, you’re not going to just walk there and let him have his way. We’re going home and then you’re going to tell me every single fucking detail what you’ve been hiding, everything about those nightmares and demons and shit”, he growled, frowning while looking at Freed.

Freed wanted to argue, but he was too tired. And he knew that look what Laxus gave to him that the lightning dragon slayer wouldn’t even listen to his argues. Obviously Laxus was mad at him, but also worried and he wouldn’t let go of this before Freed had told him everything.

So he just lowered his gaze and surrendered.

“Yes”, he said and they started their journey back to the town.

 


	51. Chapter 51

At home Laxus seated Freed on the couch, still covered by his massive dark coat.

“I’m feeling much better already”, Freed assured while Ever started to make tea.

“Good to hear, then you have enough energy to tell about those demons and Zaldevils and everything related to them”, Laxus said sitting next to him and Bickslow slumped on the arm chair.

“I’m not even sure where to start”, Freed sighed.

“Start with that nightmare you just had. What demon was it? Has Valdeghar anything to do with it?”

“No!” Freed said and he even felt a little bit hurt that Laxus even suggested something like that. “You leave Valdeghar out of this. He doesn’t deserve to be accused of something he did not do.”

“Alright”, Laxus said. “Just checking.”

“Good. Because I don’t think Valdeghar would work for my grandfather behind my back, at least not with his own will”, Freed huffed.

“Fine, we can leave Valdeghar out of this”, Laxus promised. “But then, who are those demons? What demon has been giving you nightmares?”

“I don’t know their names, I haven’t even met them before. But I’m sure they work for my grandfather, since it has been Valdeghar who actually has warned me many times that he is up to something. Last time when I spoke with him was right after we returned when we fought with the suo-kaapu. He assured that grandfather had not taken any contact with him and he will tell me if he would.”

“You trust him that much?” Ever asked setting the tray with teacups on the coffee table.

“He saved our lives”, Freed said. “He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t care. He said that he wanted to help because he thought Bickslow was a really good friend.”

“Aw, thanks baby”, Bicks grinned.

“But if your grandfather – Lucados, was it? - is the lord of the family or whatever, doesn’t that give him the ultimate control over every demon in your family?” Laxus asked.

“Actually, no”, Freed said. “Well, yes, somehow, but he can’t just order Valdeghar around, nor tell him to leave me. Same goes with Umanor.”

“Who’s that?” Bicks asked confused.

“Darkness.”

“Oh, it’s that other fella, demon with big horns and claws whose form you use sometimes.”

“Rawr!” ‘babies’ growled.

“Precisely. Umanor doesn’t really care about talking and he likes his own space and peace, but he is a good friend also. It was easier to befriend with him than Valdeghar”, Freed confessed.

“When we were in your mansion, you told me you were one day old when you got your demons. And you don’t know how many there is inside you”, Laxus said. “Is that true?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded. “I have no memories of that day as you can guess. The largest number of demons I know one of my ancestors had was nine. Usually it is around one to four. I’m not sure if even grandfather knows if there are more than just Valdeghar and Umanor inside me. But then again, grandfather seems to be most secretive of his powers thorough all history of Zaldevils...”

“So how did you get to know those two?”

“There are rituals that I was taught. With those I can talk with one demon at a time and make a contract with him, but only if they agree to it. They might be part of me but that doesn’t mean they are willing to co-operate. It took four times to talk with Umaro until it was done and thirtyseven times to talk with Valdeghar and even after that we had lots of quarrels with him.”

“Where do they come from, baby?” Bicks asked curiously.

“I’m not sure, but they must have their own dimension where one of my ancestors once made a connection and created this whole arrangement. Demons are forbidden to tell anything about where they are from. Zaldevil family’s contract says that in the moment demon steps inside the new family member, they belong to them until the day they die.”

“Somehow it is hard to believe they would do that willingly”, Laxus grumbled.

“I don’t believe that either, but sadly there is no way to find out about that”, Freed said shaking his head. “They can’t tell, no matter how much you ask them or try to force them.”

“Let me guess, it must be because of your grandfather you are so obsessed with all the rules?” Ever said and Freed nodded sipping his tea.

“If you don’t follow the rules with demons, horrible things can happen”, he said. “Even one slip might cause fate more horrible than death.”

“What a nice bedtime story that is from your grandpa”, Bicks snorted.

“You said it has been years since you saw Lucados last time”, Laxus said. “So what did suddenly change?”

Freed sighed.

“Well, I had one dream where I talked directly with grandfather, it happened when we were at the mansion.”

“You said it was nothing”, Laxus growled glaring at Freed.

“I honestly did think it was just a dream, Laxus”, the smaller man assured. “And I didn’t want you to worry. It was much later I found out it actually wasn’t just a dream when Valdeghar told me about it. He wants me back”, he huffed.

“What?”

“I thought about that dream after that and I if I’m right there are no other heir. At least not someone who grandfather would approve or the demons. And I have been given that impression that he knows what is going on, so...”

“No, wait”, Laxus said his eyes widened. “He wants our kid?” he asked with a tone that was forced to stay calm.

Freed sighed and nodded. Ever and Bickslow seemed stunned, then they carefully looked at Laxus who had a throbbing vein in his neck as he clearly was ready to break something.

“If only that man knew what kind of an enemy he just made, baby”, Bickslow grinned, but was sweating when looking at their boss. It had been a long time since they had seen Laxus that pissed.

“Sure he can’t actually even think about trying to kidnap Freed or similar?” Ever said.

“Bad idea! Laxus is too strong!” Tiki dolls giggled.

“Zap!” Poppo said tumbling against Pippi.

“Ooof!” he groaned and dropped on the floor.

“Laxus! Laxus! Laxus!” others cheered twirling around Poppo.

Freed smiled looking at the small puppet theatre and then he looked at Laxus, who wasn’t even listening what others said. He was just staring somewhere out of the window. There were tiny little sparks emitting from his hair.

“We won’t let anything happen”, the rune mage said, gently touching Laxus’ arm. “Believe me, I’ll do whatever I can so our child don’t need to have anything to do with Zaldevils. And I know you will too.”

“And we, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

“Thank you”, Freed smiled. But his smile slowly faded. “But this might get really dangerous. And it is a family issue, I shouldn’t drag you guys in to it.”

“That’s more the reason for us to involve, sweetie”, Ever chuckled. “You’re _our_ family. If he messes with you, he needs to be prepared to get turned into a stone.”

“Oooh! Ever is scary!” ‘babies’ gasped and Freed laughed.

“I should have known you wouldn’t just stand aside”, he said. “But this is still dangerous. Even I don’t know what grandfather can do. He might be old but according to Valdeghar, he is still very strong.”

“So Valdeghar knows more about him?” Laxus grumbled finally.

“Seems so, yes”, Freed nodded.

“I want to speak with him”, Laxus said and that surprised Freed.

“With Valdeghar? I don’t know if that is possible”, Greenette said putting his teacup down. “Only once has he talked with me without me being asleep.”

‘ _We hear him_ ’, he suddenly heard a familiar whisper in his head and jolted. ‘ _We can talk, if you let us out_.’

“What?” Freed blinked and others looked confused.

‘ _We can’t talk much, but something. We like your friends and your mate, we can talk with them_.’

“Really?” Freed said. “Are you sure you won’t break the old contract? It is even more strict with you demons than us humans.”

“Freed’s cuckoo”, ‘babies’ said, making Ever hush them.

‘ _We wont. We know what we can or can’t say_ ’, Valdeghar’s voice assured in Freed’s head.

He frowned slightly.

“Is it Valdeghar?” Ever asked.

“He says he would like to talk with you”, Freed nodded.

“Then we talk”, Laxus said. “Is it safe?”

“Yes. He says he can’t tell much but something.”

“Alright. Can you drag him out?”

Freed nodded and he shut his eyes, letting himself be taken over and he fell asleep.

Laxus, Ever and Bickslow watched how his form changed and the dark coat slipped over the broad sharp shoulders. Laxus had to quickly move from the couch that couldn’t fit them both when Absolute Shadow was sitting on it. Suddenly the living room felt smaller when the demon much taller than Bickslow or Laxus was there among them.

Blue eyes opened and looked around.

“Good evening”, Valdeghar said with his husky voice, with a small chuckle.

“Cool”, Bicks grinned. “So you’re Valdeghar, eh?”

“We are”, the demon nodded.

He stood up from the couch that was dangerously creaking under his weight and he hit his head on the ceiling.

“Ow”, he muttered and had to slightly crouch.

“It must feel cramped here”, Ever chuckled.

“Thanks for saving us earlier, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “We owe you one.”

“Oh… That was nothing”, Valdeghar said but he wasn’t really good to disguise from his voice that he was quite flattered.

“Valdeghar is a hero!” ‘babies’ chirped. Valdeghar tilted his head slightly and carefully he poked one of the dolls with his dark finger, making them giggle.

“It’s like you’re getting bigger and bigger every time I see that form”, Bicks cackled.

“When Freed takes our form, we are smaller”, Valdeghar explained.

“Enough with the chitchat”, Laxus growled.

He turned towards Valdeghar who decided it was safest if he just sat down beside the coffee table on the floor. That way he wouldn’t break anything by accident.

“So what can you tell us about Lucados?” the dragon slayer asked. “Is it true? He’s after our kid?”

“Since Freed already figured it out it is safe for us to tell you: Yes”, the green maned demon said. “Zaldevils need a new heir who would step up after Freed.”

“That’s not gonna happen”, Laxus sneered. “So what will happen to Zaldevils then?”

“The contract will stay on one hundred years after the family has lost their Lord, or if every one from the direct line with Zaldevil’s blood in their veins dies.”

“Freed told me his mother didn’t have demons inside her.”

“But she was the first born”, Valdeghar said. “She had no siblings. And even if she would have had, it is not certain that demons would have still chosen anyone among them. Then next in the line is first born’s first born, Freed. He was granted with the power of demons. He is the next Lord of the Zaldevil family. And next one is one of his children but if none of them are approved, it is again the first born’s children next to be approved.”

“I don’t need any fucking demons to approve my kid or kids”, Laxus snarled. “And neither does they need anything to do with Zaldevils, they are Dreyars, you got that?”

“Laxus”, Ever said quickly. “Freed told you not to accuse Valdeghar of whatever Lucados is doing. He’s on our side.”

Laxus growled annoyed crossing his arms, looking away.

“We understand him”, Valdeghar said. “But for demons in Zaldevil family, Freed is still the next Lord. But when he dies, if none of your offspring is brought to the Chamber of Demons where the ritual is held by demons, the old contract will break exactly hundred years later after his death and demons and Zaldevils are no longer tied together. But, if your child dies before they have children of their own and Freed can’t provide another heir, the contract will also be nullified since he’s the last in his family line with Zaldevil’s blood in his veins. Without Zaldevils, there is no need to keep the old contract.”

There was a silence in the living room after that. So there were only two options how to break the contract once and for all. One was really hard to achieve and it took much time, other one was something they definitely didn’t want to happen.

“Then we just have to make sure no-one of our family goes even near that damn mansion”, Laxus finally said. “I will destroy that place myself if that helps even a little bit.”

“No mere mortal – or demon – can destroy that Chamber”, Valdeghar said. “We know you’re strong, Laxus. But we also know how that Chamber is made. Or to be more specific, it is not the Chamber that is the most important part of making connection with demons. It is the Artefact inside the Chamber. The Chamber is just a place strengthened by the necessary rituals that can bring out the Artefact’s true power. If you have the Artefact and you can accomplish the rituals, you can create the ‘Chamber’ anywhere you want.”

“How is it made?” Bicks asked.

“We can’t tell that.”

“What is that Artefact?”

“We can’t tell that.”

“Was the Artefact created by Freed’s ancestors?” Ever asked.

“No. It was forgotten for a long, long time before Zaldevils found it.”

“How did they find it?” Laxus asked.

“We can’t tell that.”

“When was it made?”

“Three thousand years ago”, Valdeghar said.

“Wow, that is one really old artefact”, Bicks said impressed. “Was there even civilizations then?”

“Of course there were, dumbass”, Ever scolded. “You should learn something about the history.”

“Okay, then you tell me about the history, if you know about it so much.”

“It’s not like I can tell it just like that what exact civilization it might be who created it”, Ever tisked opening her fan. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“You just don’t know. Freed would be able to tell us right away.”

“That info is not relevant right now”, Laxus grumbled. “Do you know anything about those demons who have been harassing Freed?” he asked looking at Valdeghar, who seemed to ponder a while was it safe to tell.

“We do”, he finally said.

“What can you tell us about them?” Laxus asked.

“The one who uses surrealism magic is named Moranga, He Who Modifies. The one with the fog magic is named Jish-Ahrna. Whisper From Fog. They serve the Lord.”

“Do you know if he might have other demons?” Laxus asked.

“We can’t tell that.”

“Goddammid, you fucking asshole!” Laxus roared shoving the whole coffee table aside against the bookshelf, making the dishes crash on the floor and some books and pictures dropped from the shelf. “We need actual answers here! Don’t go acting like you’re so good friend if you’re not going to even fucking help us!” the lightning mage snarled orange eyes sparking angrily.

“Laxus, calm down!” Ever said quickly. “Freed said that Valdeghar are not allowed to answer everything. He can’t help it.”

Laxus growled rubbing his face annoyed and tried to calm his bouncing anger inside him. He was just so damn frustrated!

“We can tell you one thing”, Valdeghar said. “About Lord’s power. Freed needs to use his own body to give us form and use our power. Lord is skilled enough to give Moranga and Jish-Ahrna forms of their own. That’s how powerful he is. That is all we are allowed to tell and rest you have to find out yourself. We must return now, Freed can’t take this too long. Soon, we cannot share the body like this at all for a while. Not without risks.”

“Thank you, Valdeghar”, Ever smiled. “Don’t take Laxus’ anger personally, he’s always like that when he gets frustrated”, she assured and Laxus grumbled something. “But we are grateful of your help.”

“Yeah, we know more now”, Bicks smirked tucking out his tongue.

“We have been wondering, why do you do that?” Valdeghar asked now curiously looking at the seith mage.

“It’s fun. You should try it.”

The green maned demon stayed still for a moment, until he finally opened his mouth and long, purple tongue rolled out.

“We don’t get it”, he finally said after a moment of silence.

“Aw, that’s alright, baby”, Bickslow cackled. “It’s still funny.”

“Funny!” ‘babies’ giggled.

“Oh”, Valdeghar said and he pulled his tongue back. “That’s good.”

“Hey, come talk with us again some day”, Bickslow grinned. “You’re a good guy, Valdeghar.”

“Good guy! We like Valdeghar!” Tiki dolls cheered.

“We might”, Valdeghar said and again he sounded flattered. “Some day. Now we go rest”, he nodded and his blue eyes closed.

The big demon form vanished, leaving just Freed sitting on a floor and he almost tripped backwards but Laxus managed to catch him in time.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, just tired”, Freed said. “And… Sick”, he blurted, quickly tumbling on his feet and towards the bathroom.

“We have still lots to talk about, like what we should do”, Ever said looking at Bickslow and Laxus.

“Yes”, the lightning mage said. “But Freed doesn’t need to know everything what Valdeghar said.”

“Are you sure, baby?” Bicks asked concerned.

“What do you think he might do? He would probably try to destroy that artefact all by himself if he knew about it”, Laxus said. “So it’s better that we don’t mention it.”

Bickslow and Ever looked at each other, but silently nodded. That actually was what would probably happen.


	52. Chapter 52

Freed woke up at night and he wasn’t sure what the time was. Laxus was sleeping relaxed next to him, snoring as always. Quietly Freed sat up and set his feet on the cold floor, as he really needed to go to the bathroom even though it would be really nice to just keep sleeping.

Without a sound he opened the bedroom door and stepped on the hallway. He used the bathroom and returned, looking around in the almost dark house. He heard snoring from the living room so he peeked in there, chuckling when he saw Bickslow sleeping on a couch, blanket only partially over him and the pillow had already dropped on the floor. Freed looked at the rack and saw also Ever’s coat there so she was probably sleeping at the quest room. He had been the first one to fall asleep at evening so he didn’t know they decided to stay over the night.

He smiled and stepped in the kitchen, taking out a glass and filled it with water. He drank it down and for a moment, he didn’t even know why, he just stayed there staring at the sink and his sleepy thoughts wandered.

Laxus, Bicks and Ever had told him what they spoke with Valdeghar. Sure, he knew Lucados was a strong wizard, but he had no idea he was that strong. And Valdeghar had only mentioned about his power with demons, who knows what he could also do? He was also curious of how Lucados managed to give his demons form of their own, without using his own body. If he could summon Valdeghar or Umanor like that…

Freed sat down on the chair in the dark kitchen and now he stared at the empty glass on the table. To accomplish something like calling Valdeghar out without using his form by himself, it definitely needed lots of training. He could guess that it would also took enormous amounts of magic.

And how did those demons appear in his dreams? Why was he feeling the coldness even when he woke up? He did warm up again quickly but still… There were so many questions and part of him really wanted to return back to that old mansion just so he could demand answers directly from his grandfather. Freed knew it was a crazy idea, but how else could he get answers? It was part of his nature to be curious to learn more and to be honest, he was really starting to get annoyed when he couldn’t explain to himself what exactly was happening.

Though, he knew Laxus definitely wouldn’t agree with this plan. He understood it, if the tables were turn, he would act the same way. Lucados wanted him back and he was actually thinking just walking back home and there were obvious risks in it. He might not be able to return back to Fairy Tail once he stepped again inside that mansion.

Of course… He could always wait. And after the birth of their child he could let Laxus take care of him and go just by himself. Then there would be no danger for the child. But could he wait that long? Would Lucados let them have that much time? Valdeghar had already warned him more than just once.

Freed just sat there and tried to figure out what he should do. At some point he heard a small creak from the door and then steps. He smiled when big arms wrapped around him.

“Why are you up?” Laxus murmured with a yawn.

“I just needed to use the bathroom”, Freed whispered. “Don’t wake up Bickslow.”

“Not even fireworks in the middle of the living room could wake him up just like that, you know it. Come back to bed, babe.”

“Just a moment”, Freed promised and he stood up and filled the glass again, then he returned back to the bedroom with Laxus.

He put the glass down on the night stand and slipped back under the blanket, Laxus following him right after. Freed smiled when the big arms pulled him closer against the Thunder God’s body.

“Try to sleep more, it’s still middle of the night”, Laxus said. “And we don’t need to go anywhere in the morning. Yesterday was pretty exhausting for you.”

“Not that exhausting”, Freed chuckled. “But I will rest if that makes you feel better.”

“It does”, Laxus nodded burying his face on green hair, inhaling that lovely scent. Freed smelled so good. Better than ever. His sensitive nose could tell if anything was wrong and now he could tell his pregnant mate was healthy, well fed and clean and it made him happy.

But he frowned when he also caught a hint of nervousness.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Hm? Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Freed asked his eyes shut, ready to fall back to sleep.

“You’re nervous.”

“I’m fine”, Freed assured gently rubbing Laxus’ arm soothingly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you hurting? Did you see a nightmare again?” Laxus asked.

“No”, Freed huffed. “I was just thinking about grandfather and what Valdeghar told us about him… We really can’t tell what he might do next, but we can only try to prepare for whatever it is.”

“I’ll stay awake if that eases your nervousness, you can sleep”, Laxus said.

“You don’t have to, Laxus.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to”, the lightning dragon slayer growled. “Just in case. You go back to sleep, babe.”

Freed huffed and closed his eyes. He was too tired to argue with Laxus and even if he did, it wouldn’t help. The blond wouldn’t go back to sleep no matter how much he would assure everything was fine. 

Laxus kept Freed against him, gently caressing his side and slightly swollen stomach and heard how he fell asleep after a while. He would stay awake at least for an hour or two, just to make sure everything would be fine. In his mind he now also went through what Valdeghar had told them. They told Freed about Lucados’ powers, but they didn’t tell anything about the Artefact. The last thing Laxus wanted to happen was Freed to try and destroy that Artefact by himself, thinking that he shouldn’t bother Laxus and others with his family’s issues.

Laxus growled pulling his sleeping mate even closer to himself and pulled the blanket better on him, like with that he could hide Freed from anyone and keep him safe. It angered him to even think about Lucados! That man was out there somewhere, plotting to snatch away his mate and their kid. He would not let that happen. And he would not let Freed to walk to confront his grandfather either.

 

In the next morning they ate breakfast together and just talked this and that. Bickslow wanted to return back to training and was planning to ask Elfman this time to spar with him. Ever was not that happy to hear about it, since she had planned to spend the day with Elfman together, where Bicks suggested that the brunette should join then and they should ask Cana also. Then they could double-date after training.

Freed smiled as he listened his team members making plans. Laxus of course only planned to stay near Freed and he could almost swear something was going on. It almost felt like Laxus wanted to keep an eye on him all the time. Was he that worried Lucados might suddenly attack or something?

After eating and washing up and getting properly dressed, they parted their ways at Laxus’ house and Freed headed towards the Guild with his Thunder God, while Bicks and Ever went to fetch Elfman who was almost definitely still sleeping at this time of the morning.

“What do you wanna do at Guild?” Laxus asked as they were walking without a rush on the street.

“I actually want to go to the Guild’s library”, Freed explained. And secretly he was really glad that Laxus accompanied him since the library still gave him an uneasy feeling if he were there alone. He knew that was of course ridiculous, the demon had appeared in his dream, not in the actual library.

Laxus sneered.

“A day in the library?” he said. That sounded boring as hell.

“You’re free to do whatever you want”, Freed assured. “You can stay at the Hall and chat with others.”

“Nah, but what are you then looking for?”

“It’s probably a long shot, but I still try to find out if there is any information about Moranga and Jish-Ahrna.”

“Why?” Laxus asked suspiciously looking at Freed.

“Just in case”, he said. “And I want to know more about surrealism magic and fog magic. What kind magic they are and so on. It is better to know at least something if they appear again.”

“You’re not planning anything?”

“Not”, Freed laughed. “Just curious, that’s all.” At least he was not planning anything right _now_.

They arrived at the Guild and greeted Kinana who was taking care of the morning shift.

“You know”, Freed said as they walked up the stairs. “I already know what you’re going to answer, but do you think Makarov might know something about those demons?”

“Gramps?” Laxus asked surprised. “Doubt it.”

“Do you believe he might know something about Zaldevils?”

“Dunno... He’s so old he has probably seen how the Earthland was created, I guess that could be possible.”

“That was a nice way to say good morning”, they heard a familiar chuckle and stopped.

Makarov opened the door of his office, looking at them.

“Good morning, Master”, Freed greeted politely.

“Gramps”, Laxus grumbled.

“Good morning, you two. And it’s good to see you up and awake this early, Laxus”, Makarov grinned making Laxus mutter something, crossing his arms. “So what did I hear you say you should ask if I know?”

Freed looked at Laxus who said nothing.

“Zaldevils”, the rune mage said looking at the small man. “Is there anything you might know about them more than we do?”

Makarov stayed silent for a moment, but finally nodded.

“I might know something”, he said and that surprised both Freed and Laxus. “Let’s go inside”, the old man suggested and stepped in his office, Laxus and Freed following him right after.

Makarov hopped on his desk and sat down, as Freed and Laxus took chairs.

“You probably want to talk about Lucados Zaldevil, if I’m right?” Makarov guessed.

“Yes”, Freed said. “Do you know him?”

“I have never talked to him myself, but when I was younger – “

“When the beer wasn’t yet invented so you couldn’t haze your mind with it”, Laxus couldn’t stop himself.

“When I was younger”, Makarov said louder as if he wasn’t at all affected by his grandson’s taunt, but his moustache was twitching slightly. “I heard many things about him. We’re around same age, after all.”

“Laxus”, Freed scowled warningly when the dragon slayer opened his mouth. “Say something and I will use my runes to silence you.”

That snapped Laxus’ mouth shut, though he did growl something under his breath.

“Thank you, Freed, I think I’m going to like it very much to have you as my son-in-law”, Makarov nodded approvingly. “Lucados was a well known mage at young age already. He was always secretive, but mage who does missions cannot hide his magic forever, there are always some people who are bound to see what he does. Now I understand that you youngsters don’t know anything at all about him, but older folks like me still remember Lucados the Dreamcatcher.”

“Dreamcatcher?” Freed said confused. “I have never heard anyone to call him that.”

“For around fifty or sixty years ago Lucados the Dreamcatcher suddenly disappeared. He was a mysterious young man with powerful magic and handsome looks with his long dark green hair and turquoise eyes. He was very popular among ladies. But then he just stopped appearing at the Guild he was part of, that is now disbanded. It was only a mere coincidence that I happened to hear how the certain Zaldevil family had a new count after the death of last one, the young man was also named Lucados and it sounded he fit the description of Lucados the Dreamcatcher.”

“How people couldn’t find it out?” Laxus asked confused. If that guy was so handsome and all, how could he avoid not being spotted and recognized just like that?

“Here’s the thing”, Makarov said. “It is his magic he uses. His magic is the reason why people don’t know him that well.”

“And it has something to do with dreams then?” Freed said and now he was starting to understand some parts of this huge mess.

“Yes. When people sleep, their brains process a lot of information they have gotten during the day. People dream a lot more than they realize. He reaches into those dreams and snatches out what he wants. As a result, the one being attacked by his spells has completely forgotten everything he took out.”

“Can someone really do something like that?” Laxus huffed. “Are you saying that he could make me forget Freed or Fairy Tail or similar in my sleep?”

“No”, Makarov reassured. “He can’t do something like that. That information is old and cannot be deleted just like that. The information has to be fresh. He have might as well took interviews in his mansion and even tell them everything. But before that information is too deeply in victim’s mind, he takes it away when they are most vulnerable. In their sleep. Then he only needs to make sure there are no pictures or similar left behind.”

“Kinda creepy”, Laxus confessed.

“That explains a lot why I have no memories ever to see him actually use his magic. He could have trained all days, me watching just beside him and then he just snipped those moments out of my memories while I was asleep”, Freed said hand on his chin.

“Or he just changes them in to something else”, Makarov said.

“Hell, it just gets even better”, Laxus grumbled.

“If he can take away dreams, he can also provide them if I’m correct?” Freed said ignoring Laxus’ comments.

“I’m almost hundred percent sure he can do that”, Makarov nodded.

“And with Moranga and Jish-Ahrna, he can send them into peoples’ dreams to harass them.”

“Who?” Makarov asked now confused.

“His demons.”

“That old dreamshit is Freed’s grandpa”, Laxus explained and Makarov’s eyes widened slightly, but then he closed them.

“I had my suspicions from the start”, he muttered. “At the moment when Freed joined the Guild and told nothing about his family, somehow Lucados popped into my head just like that and I was sure that man might appear at the Guild. But he didn’t so I didn’t think about it that much, but I never forgot it either.”

“Why would you think that?” Freed asked. “Not just green hair and turquoise eyes are enough to claim we are related. I don’t even look like him that much and you said you have never met him.”

“It was... More like a hunch”, Makarov murmured trying to remember that exact moment how he felt then. “Even I knew that was a bizarre thought, but there was just something...”

“The demons”, Laxus grumbled.

There was a brief silence.

“That might actually be it”, Freed said as he thought about it. “Valdeghar and Umanor are still demons of the Zaldevil family and I’m sure grandfather has used Moranga and Jish-Ahrna before when he was younger, then he just deleted that info from peoples minds after the mission. Who knows, maybe you actually have met him but he just took that memory away from you?” he suggested and Makarov nodded.

“You can take away memories but not all feelings. And if I did encounter those demons you mentioned, I might have sensed something same in you then when you appeared and begged if you could join Fairy Tail. So why didn’t he come?” Makarov asked. “Obviously you didn’t leave your home with a permission.”

“We might have disagreements about many things and we are not very close. Like at all”, Freed said. “It is true I left the mansion without a permission. He just didn’t need me back then so he didn’t bother himself trying to bring me back. I would have just ran away again, this time further.”

“I see. So he let you do what you wanted but close enough so he could make you come back if needed”, the old Master huffed. “What a troublesome parent. I’m assuming there are no other relatives?”

“Maybe some very distant cousins but no, not anyone in the main family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Freed”, Makarov said. “So is Lucados causing you troubles now?”

“He has caused nightmares with his demons”, Laxus said. “We wouldn’t know this much but Valdeghar told us what he could.”

“And who is Valdeghar then?”

“Absolute Shadow, one of Freed’s demons.”

“Did he tell what Lucados was after?”

“No”, Laxus lied before Freed could even think what he should say. He restrained himself to not even glimpse towards Laxus so he wouldn’t reveal him lying. Laxus must have a reason why he lied.

“But this doesn’t still make sense”, he said frowning. “Valdeghar said that grandfather used Moranga to reach my dreams. But shouldn’t it be the other way around with his powers? Him to send his demon in my dream?”

“Maybe Valdeghar is wrong?” Laxus suggested.

“I highly doubt that.”

They all went silent, trying to figure what might be the reason.

“I can only think that he’s just getting too old and can’t simply do it all by himself anymore”, Laxus shrugged.

“That’s a lazy deduction.”

“Whatever.”

“Now now”, Makarov said. “We will find everything out eventually, I’m sure of it. But remember, the family is strongest when they work together, not fighting against each other or try to hide things”, he reminded. “Trust and love. With those two things strong and balanced, wonders can really happen. Don’t go doing things without talking to each other, since the pack of wolves hunts the prey better than two wolves working alone.”

“Dunno, if the alpha wolf is old and there’s more booze in his veins than blood”, Laxus said but with a playful smirk and Makarov laughed.

“You brat, never showing respect to your elderly”, he said. “I hope my great-grandchild will take more after Freed.”

“Yeah, I think I’d prefer that too”, Laxus smiled and Freed laughed.

They stood up ready to leave, when Freed turned towards Makarov.

“I would prefer if we still could keep this as a secret from the rest of the Guild”, he said. “At least now. Until we know something more so there won’t be… Any unnecessary conflicts.”

“I guess I understand why you want to keep it as a secret”, Makarov huffed. “I believe it’s fine as long as nothing will happen.”

“Thank you, Makarov”, Freed smiled and followed Laxus to the hallway.


	53. Chapter 53

Couple of weeks went by fast and Freed noticed – relieved – that his nightmares had stopped after they had talked with Valdeghar and Makarov. He didn’t know why, but he sure wasn’t sorry because of that.

The winter had finally arrived, the snow was slowly falling from the sky and the whole town had a new white blanket covering it. Kids all around the town were of course excited because of the snow and there were lots of snow fights happening everywhere.

“I hate it.”

The Thunder Legion was walking over from the small mission – well Freed was just accompanying them since it was in Magnolia, he wasn’t actually allowed to do anything – towards the Guild.

“Can’t help it”, Ever chuckled hugging Freed’s arm as they walked. “But it really does suit you.”

“I hate it”, Freed just repeated. He was wearing a new coat, black and much like his old coat with yellow buttons and he had of course green scarf and fuzzy earmuffs.

“You didn’t want to do anything to your red coat but you can’t walk around in the winter without one so we just had to buy you a new one that is big enough now”, Laxus shrugged and he felt how purple eye glared at him behind the green bangs.

“Don’t listen to him, you’re not even that big yet, sweetie”, Ever assured adjusting her fluffy scarf better.

“Big enough not to fit in his old coat”, Laxus smirked and Bickslow cackled.

“And whose fault that might be?” Freed growled coldly. “Mister My Magic Is So Awesome I Knocked Up My Boyfriend.”

“It wasn’t like I did it purposely, I had no idea that could happen”, Laxus defended himself.

“No matter what you say, you just can’t win, baby”, Bickslow smirked.

“Of course he can’t”, Ever chuckled. “Freed carries the ultimate card against Laxus where ever he goes and that card can win every quarrel you guys have.”

“That sucks”, Laxus grumbled annoyed.

“I’m sorry, is this all too much for you?” Freed snapped sarcastically. “I didn’t realize you were having a hard time, maybe you should rest a bit?”

“Alright! I get it”, Laxus said rolling his eyes. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Sounds better”, Freed nodded. “You’re forgiven.”

“But it’s not like I’m the only one who’s to blame...” Laxus muttered.

“And he’s back in the dog house”, Bickslow cackled, when Freed’s cowlicks looked like they twitched in a really angry way.

“You’re blaming this on me?” Freed asked terrifyingly calm, looking at his fiancé. “I’m sorry, of course this is my fault. I should have known that despite I’m a male, I would end up being pregnant so I should have taken care of the protection.”

“I didn’t mean it that way”, Laxus assured.

“No no, I understand. It’s not like the high and mighty Laxus Dreyar should take care of some petty little details like protection and if something happens, of course it’s my fault to get knocked up”, Freed said with cold and emotionless tone. Ever and Bickslow knew he was pissed as hell, since he was talking like that to his Thunder God. Laxus himself seemed to notice that too, Freed never talked like that.

“I’m sorry, of course it’s not your fault”, he said. “I would never blame you.”

“So who were you going to blame if not me?” Freed just asked.

“Eh? Um… My dragon slayer magic?” Laxus suggested. “Me and my dragon slayer magic.”

“Nice try”, Bicks snickered and ‘babies’ giggled.

“I think I might as well go straight to Porlyusica now for my regular examination”, Freed muttered. “You three go give your report at the Guild.”

“Freed...” Laxus sighed.

“I’ll see you back at home”. Freed said and just started walking to another street, heading towards the forest.

“Fuck”, Laxus cussed irritated. “Why is he that waspish?”

“He’ll calm down soon”, Ever smiled. “It’s just those hormones. If you want, we can take care of the report so you can go after Freed.”

“Thanks”, Laxus said.

“But don’t get too close, Freed needs time to calm”, Bickslow grinned. “He should be calm enough once you arrive at the cottage.”

“You’re right. I’ll just stay close enough so I can get to him quickly if something happens”, Laxus said. “But far enough so he won’t notice me. Last thing I want is to make him even more angry”, he muttered and went after his green haired boyfriend.

 

Freed arrived at the edge of the forest and by then, he was already calm again. He had been muttering something the whole way, but he just couldn’t stay mad when he knew that it was stupid and childish. According to Ever it was alright, sometimes he was allowed to act like that since what could he do about it? When those hormones decided now was the time to do something completely absurd, that is what was going to happen.

Freed sighed, following the small path between the trees. He felt still bad. It was not alright to act like that when he knew very well that Laxus had just as much information about this whole mess as he did. They had no idea what could happen so it was no-one’s fault.

Freed crossed his arms and nodded to himself. He should apologize. Maybe he should make a good dinner after he returned back home? Something that Laxus really liked. Lately, they had mostly eaten what Freed was craving… But then again, when he thought about it a while, a lot of things had happened lately according to what he wanted...

The rune mage groaned ruffling his hair slightly. He was acting ridiculous! How could he be this selfish? It was not alright at all to snap to his Thunder God like that and without a good reason at all! He had to apologize at once when he would see Laxus again! And he had completely ignored all his duties as a captain! Though, it was because Porlyusica had forced him on this… Err… Vacation.

When was the last time he checked their budget for the important expenses? Had he even taken a good look in the fridge when they visited their house just two days ago? Were Ever and Bickslow eating just junk food and not proper food? He might be pregnant but he shouldn’t neglect his duties!

“Hello, Freed!”

Freed snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head.

“Hello, Levy”, he smiled. “How are you doing?”

“Fine”, Levy smiled. “You’re going to see Porlyusica too?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded and they started their journey together. “I thought you usually went to see her at mornings”, Greenette said.

“I usually do, but today I had no time to go earlier”, Levy explained. “Gajeel is busy with other things so this is a good chance to have time for myself. You seem a little bit troubled.”

“I am”, Freed sighed. “I have came to notice finally that my behaviour has been inexcusable lately...”

“What happened?” Levy asked surprised and worried. “What did you do?”

Freed explained what had happened. Now that he said it out loud, it made him even more embarrassed that he got so angry.

“That’s it?” Levy asked finally after a brief silence.

“What?” Freed said blinking.

“I snapped to Gajeel yesterday because for some reason I hated the color of the headband he was wearing”, Levy giggled. “And he had to go all the way back home to change it and at the time he returned, I told him it was alright for him to wear that previous headband, I didn’t hate it anymore.”

“Oh...” Freed said.

“Your pregnancy brain is making you overthink even more than usually. You have to be more forgiving for yourself, Freed”, Levy smiled patting Freed’s arm gently. “This is exactly the reason why Porlyusica won’t let us go into any missions.”

“But I just feel like I’m acting really unfair towards Laxus”, Freed confessed.

“Maybe, but how are you planning to stop these bursts?”

“That I don’t know...”

“See? If you feel bad, then say you’re sorry and then you can forget this. Laxus understands.”

“What about all my self centered whims?” Freed asked.

“Too bad, he has to just adjust”, Levy huffed. “Things change. Are you planning to keep doing everything just like before pregnancy, after the baby is born? I highly doubt that even you can do something like that.”

“I… I haven’t actually even thought much how things are going to be after the birth...” Freed confessed.

“You should”, Levy nodded. “Because things won’t stay the same. It takes at least two or three years before we can even go to the mission next time. Who knows, maybe even longer? I know I want more kids than just one”, she smiled.

They kept walking in silence towards the cottage and Freed thought what Levy had said. Of course things weren’t going to stay the same. There was no way he could take care of everything like he used to… It saddened him. He wanted to take care of his team, but he couldn’t even go with them anywhere further than Magnolia.

Soon they stood in front of the door, both a little bit nervous. Obviously they were both waiting that the other one would knock.

“Well… You’re a captain after all, you should do the honour”, Levy said.

“Oh no, ladies first”, Freed assured.

“Just open the door and come inside already, you wimps!” Porlyusica yelled from the inside making them flinch. “And quick, I don’t want you idiots to let out all the warmth of my house!”

They looked at each other, neatly swept all the snow from the porch and cleaned their shoes, then they stepped in the cottage.

“It is unusual of you two to arrive together”, Porlyusica said looking at them.

“It was a coincidence”, Freed said. “Good evening, Porlyusica.”

“I don’t have time for needless chitchat. Let’s start”, the pink haired woman said.

Freed sat on the couch to wait while Levy followed Porlyusica to the other room.

 

After the examinations, they were sitting in front of the desk and Porlyusica took her seat behind it.

“Everything seems to be fine”, she said. “Is there anything else new that comes in mind you two should tell me?”

“No, I don’t think so”, Levy said and Freed shook his head as well.

“Alright. Then we will see again after two weeks. There is one thing I can tell you if you’re interested of hearing it. Some people want to know the gender of the baby before and some people want it to be a surprise. So what do you want to do?”

“So… You know?” Freed asked surprised.

“Yes, I know, I believe that was what I just said”, Porlyusica said annoyed. “So do you want to know or not?”

“I want to know”, Levy said excitedly. “Freed, don’t you want to know?”

“Um… I’m not sure what Laxus wants”, Freed said frowning. “If he wants it to be a surprise, it would be wrong for me to -”

“I’m going to tell you the gender of your baby, not the deepest secret of the life itself”, Porlyusica snapped. “It shouldn’t be that hard to say yes or no.”

Freed looked at Levy who smiled expectingly and he thought about it more. If he let himself be selfish in this and only went with what he wanted… He wanted to know.

“I… I guess it’s alright”, the swordsman finally said and Levy squealed on her seat.

“This is so thrilling!” she said. “Please tell us, Porlyusica.”

The old healer huffed but she also smiled slightly.

“As you wish”, she said. “Levy is going to have a baby girl and Freed is having a baby boy, congratulations.”

Freed just stared at her hardly believing his ears, when Levy screamed loudly and hugged him tightly as she was so excited for them both.

“Isn’t that great news, Freed?” she giggled.

“Yes, it is”, Freed chuckled. “Congratulations, Levy.”

“You too, Freed!”

Porlyusica said nothing, but she knew very well how pointless it was to actually tell about the genders, since the reaction would be the same no matter what. At least with these two and she was sure Laxus and Gajeel would be happy too.

“If you’re done now, you can get out”, she said taking out her book to write everything down.

Freed and Levy stood up, but then the door suddenly burst open and both Laxus and Gajeel crashed in, falling on the floor.

“Get out of my way, you fucking lightning rod!” Gajeel snarled and tried to push Laxus aside.

“You’re the one who keeps getting in my way, damn prince albert!” the blond growled.

“What are you two idiots doing, rushing into other peoples homes just like that?!” Porlyusica snapped.

“I heard Levy screaming!” Gajeel said and looked around, noticing Levy. “What happened? Is everything alright?” he asked shoving Laxus out of his way and stood up.

“Yes, everything is alright”, Levy said. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t like it when you walk in the forest alone so I followed you.”

Laxus stood up and stepped beside Freed who was still surprised because of this sudden hassle.

“Are you alright? That old hag didn’t do anything?” Laxus asked.

“What? Yes, I’m alright”, Freed said. “Nothing is wrong.”

“What was with that screaming?” Gajeel asked.

“We just heard some news”, Levy smiled brightly and she grabbed Gajeel’s arm in her tight grasp. “We’re having a girl, isn’t that great?” she said.

“A girl?” Gajeel said blinking. “That’s… That’s… Really great!” the raven haired mage laughed loudly and lifted up his much smaller mate just like that. “That is awesome news!”

“That’s what caused the scream?” Laxus asked crossing his arms. “Well, guess I’m happy for them.”

Freed looked at his Thunder God, who stood still and said nothing more and didn’t ask anything. But he could see how tensed up he was, waiting for Freed to say something. Obviously he was dying to know, but was too proud to just ask, thinking that would make him look like some overexcited fool.

He wondered how long it would take before Laxus would ask.

“Get out! All of you!” Porlyusica shouted pointing at door. “I don’t have time for this!” she said grabbing the broom and shoved them all out of the door, slamming it shut once they were outside.

There were slight growling between Laxus and Gajeel before they took their own directions with their mates. Freed just smiled walking beside his lightning dragon slayer and for a moment the only noise was how their shoes flattened the snow under them.

“So...” he finally heard Laxus say, maybe even slightly timidly but he obviously tried to sound confident and like he was not even that interested. “What did she say?” he asked just staring ahead.

“That everything is fine”, Freed smiled.

“Oh… That’s good.”

“We’re having a boy”, Freed finally chuckled and watched how Laxus jolted, then he stopped.

“A boy?” he asked now looking at Freed who nodded.

“Yes. Is that good news?” he asked and Laxus laughed, kissing him.

“That’s really good news”, he purred. “I can’t wait to tell gramps and others. Hell, I feel like I want to shout it from the roof of the Guild.”

“You would have been that happy if we would have been having a girl, right?” Freed asked.

“What? Of course!” Laxus said. “What the hell, Freed? You actually think I would be some bastard who hates his kids if they are not the gender he expected?”

“No, of course not”, Freed laughed. “I know you’re not like that.”

“Good, because no matter what I would still be the proudest man in the Earthland.”

“I’m glad to hear that”, Freed smiled. “I’m sorry about the earlier, I shouldn’t have got that angry over such a silly thing.”

“It’s alright, babe”, Laxus said pulling his arm around Freed’s waist. “I get it. Don’t feel bad about it.”

“I just needed to apologize.”

“I know. I would forgive you even if you didn’t. Let’s just go home now.”

 


	54. Chapter 54

The S-class Trials were approaching quickly day after day. Bickslow had really his hopes up and he was more than thankful of all the help his teammates gave him. Not just his teammates, there were lots of sparring between guild members every single day, trying new moves and so on. In a way, everybody were helping each other out to do their absolute best in the S-class Trials.

“Only two weeks”, Freed smiled as he was walking with Bickslow through the marketplace, carrying bags of groceries.

“Yeah, everyone’s so excited”, Bickslow grinned. “But I’m not gonna lose to anyone now.”

“You’re doing great, Bicks”, Freed complimented. “We are sure you’re going to make it.”

“Thanks, baby”, the seith mage smiled. “There is still one mission I’m gonna do before the trials, it takes maybe three to five days.”

“Three to five days? Are you sure that’s wise right now? What if it takes longer?”

“It’s nothing too big. I’ll just go in Naava Town to do some guarding and stuff.”

“To Naava Town?” Freed asked curiously. “That sounds interesting. I have always wanted to visit that town, I have heard there is a magnificent library there and many book stores with old books. If you want to find some old spell book, that is the town where you should start looking for.”

“Too bad you can’t come”, Bicks snickered. “The client is actually an owner of one of those big book stores. She says someone has broken in two times and she wants to find out who and why.”

“So you don’t actually know who your opponent is or if there are even more of them?”

“Yeah, but I’ll be alright.”

“I don’t think you should go alone”, Freed said with a small smile. “Maybe it’s best if you take some company.”

“Baby, you can’t come to this mission. Laxus would kick my ass big time if I agreed to take you with me.”

“I don’t need to join you in the mission”, Freed said. “I’m aware I’m not allowed to do that, it is a rule now. But I’m still allowed to travel”, he reminded as they took the road towards their house. “If I want to go there to see that famous library and explore those book stores, why can’t I? It is just a happy coincidence that you happen to have a mission in that town also.”

“Dunno what Laxus is still gonna say”, Bicks laughed.

“I can see that Laxus is bored to death no matter what he says so this is a good opportunity for him as well to do something. It has been forever since we travelled last time together.”

“It would be nice”, Bicks nodded. “Let’s hope Ever doesn’t have anything else to do right now”, he cackled.

They arrived at the house and started to make dinner. It didn’t take long when Ever and Laxus appeared as Freed had send them to look for other ingredients for the food.

“Damn, are you doing some super fancy food for a whole army?” Laxus asked looking around. Seemed like Freed had decided to throw a feast for them.

“Something like that”, Freed smiled smashing the potatoes in a bowl. “I thought it would be nice.”

“Oh yes, now we’re talking”, Laxus laughed looking at the oven where there were a big chunk of meat and sausages roasting there. On the table there were also lots of salad, three different sauces and other foods, even some booze was waiting in the fridge.

This was… A little bit  too much for just some spontaneous feast without a reason.

“What’s going on?” Laxus asked narrowing his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Freed asked and he kept his eyes on the bowl.

“You never do something like this without a reason”, Laxus said suspiciously looking at his mate and he leaned on the counter. “What’s the catch, Justine?”

“My idea”, Bickslow quickly said. “I thought this would be nice, since I’ll be away couple of days. Need to eat as much as I can Freed’s food now.”

“Where are you going?” Laxus asked and Freed was relieved that those orange eyes shifted to look at the seith mage.

“On the mission”, Bicks explained. “I was gonna ask Ever to join me.”

“Join where?” Ever asked when she stepped in the kitchen and sat down.

“I’m going to Naava Town for a guarding mission for couple of days”, Bicks smirked. “Do you wanna come with me? The money is good”, he said and took out the mission sheet under his cape, giving it to the brunette.

“Naava Town?” Ever said reading the description of the mission.

After she had read it, she could easily count one plus one and took a glimpse towards Freed, who took out meats from the oven. 

“Sure, it could be fun”, she smiled and gave the paper back to Bickslow, who grinned wide.

“Nice, we’re leaving in the morning”, he said.

They ate and cleaned up, then they sat on the living room and opened beer bottles. Of course Freed only had tea but that was alright for him. He was waiting when Laxus would be most comfortable before suggesting to join  in the journey.

“That was some really good grub”, Laxus smiled sitting on a couch with Freed.

“Yeah, I’m stuffed”, Bicks cackled. “Can’t move a muscle at the rest of the evening.”

“We still need to pack”, Ever chuckled. She also had a bottle of beer, since there was no wine right now, but she didn’t complain.

“Oh yeah...” Bicks whined slumping deeper on his chair. “Now that sounds so exhausting...”

“No good, we’re tired”, ‘babies’ yawned.

“You’re the one who chose that mission”, Ever reminded. “So can’t help it.”

“What’s that mission anyway?” Laxus asked curiously.

“We’re guarding a book store, there has been two nights when someone has broken in. The mission sheet doesn’t say what the burglar is after, we just need to stay alert at night and try to catch whoever it is.”

“A book store, huh?” Laxus said, looking at Freed who seemed perfectly innocent, just sipping his tea. Too innocent... “What was that town again?”

“Naava Town.”

“Doesn’t that town have one of those big libraries you always ramble about?” the lightning dragon slayer asked glaring at Freed even more suspiciously.

“Maybe”, he nodded.

“Whatever you’re thinking in that head of yours, the answer is no”, Laxus growled. “I knew there was another reason why you suddenly put up all that food. You want us to join in that mission.”

“I know I’m not allowed to go into any missions”, Freed assured. “But no-one has said that I can’t go out of Magnolia.”

“Okay, you can’t, now there is one”, Laxus grumbled crossing his arms.

“You know that is unfair, Laxus”, Freed scolded. “And it is not healthy for our relationship if you try to chain me at home.”

“Not chain you”, Laxus muttered. “Just keep you and our son safe.”

“I understand that, but aren’t you getting tired of just sitting at home day after day? Because I most certainly am. It’s alright for me to travel so why not accompany Bicks and Ever to Naava Town?” he reasoned.

He saw how Laxus was really considering what they should do. Freed would have wanted to smile smugly as he knew that Laxus was really tempted to just give up and join in the mission.

“Come on, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “It will be fun! We have something to do and Freed can finally go sniff around in that dusty library. And most of all, we’ll travel together! Freed might even find something that could help me in the Trials.”

“If you give me couple of days”, Freed promised.

Laxus grumbled and rubbed his face, while the others waited what he would say.

“I’m not sure”, he muttered. “I really don’t like the idea.”

“Everything will be fine”, Freed smiled patting his big arm reassuringly.

“What if your grandpa decides to cause something?”

“How can he cause something if he doesn’t know where we are?”

“He shouldn’t know about the baby either yet still he does”, Laxus reminded.

“That might be true”, Freed had to admit. “But are you planning to keep us here at Magnolia for the rest of our lives?”

“No. Just until that old fucker is dead”, Laxus growled. “And couple of years more after that just to make sure he won’t crawl up from his grave.”

“I know you don’t really mean that but I still don’t find it funny at all”, Freed said. “You know what, I don’t even need your permission”, he decided and stood up. “Because how are you going to stop me? Tie me down? I’m your mate, you agreed I’m equal with you so in things like these you can’t order me around like I’m just your captain.”

“I’m not treating you like you’re just my captain”, Laxus snarled almost jumping up from the couch.

“But you’re treating me as a mate who should follow _your_ orders”, Freed reminded.

“Sometimes I have to, or you won’t listen!”

“Really?”

“Goddamit, I only want what is safest for you, Freed!” Laxus shouted irritated.

“I know, I’m not doubting that”, Freed agreed. “I always feel most safe when you’re around”, he assured with a smile. “No matter where we are, was it here in Magnolia or in Naava Town. So there is nothing to worry about, just follow by my side and I’m safe.”

That seemed to leave Laxus wordless.

“So I’m going to take my ultimate card with me over there and start going through what we need in this journey”, Freed smirked smugly, and with a victorious sway in his hips he headed towards his room. 

“Ohh, he’s starting to learn”, Ever giggled.

“Freed slayed the dragon!” ‘babies’ snickered and Bickslow obviously couldn’t resist to make a whip sound effect.

Laxus was  _so_ ready to torch everything around him with his lightning, but obviously couldn’t do it. So it had to be enough for him to try and choke Bickslow who couldn’t stop his stupid cackling.

 


	55. Chapter 55

The Thunder Legion with their beloved God travelled through the white fields towards the north and big mountains.

“Damn this weather”, Laxus grumbled and as always, was just laying on a bench, head on Freed’s lap. He looked out of the window and saw how heavy snowstorm was whirling outside.

“Don’t worry, this train is sturdy and it is build in a way that it can run no matter how bad the weather is”, the rune mage assured.

“Though, if there is a landslide or something that has blocked the road then we have nothing else to do than wait”, Bickslow said. “I told Mira to call for the client and say that we’re on our way, but the client warned that it is not unusual that the train has to stop because of the landslide or the avalanche.”

“Great, just great”, Laxus growled.

Their journey continued peacefully, until indeed the train suddenly started to slow down quickly, making them almost fall from their seats.

“I’m guessing there is troubles”, Ever groaned and they stood up, even Laxus forced himself up and did his best not to care about the hideous nausea bubbling in his stomach and in his throat.

“Let’s go find out what is wrong and offer our help if we can do anything”, Freed said and they stepped on the hallway.

Many other passengers also stepped out of the train that had stopped. They could see the problem clearly when they arrived at the head of the train, where engineers were also looking at the view.

“Damn...” Bickslow hissed. “That ain’t gonna be an easy task to remove”, he said.

The trails went between the two massive cliffs, but now the passage was covered with rocks, snow, mud, trees and everything.

“No way in hell this train can get through that”, Laxus grumbled. “It takes days before they can move all that from the trails.”

“Excuse me”, Freed said politely and they stepped closer to the engineers. “How is the situation?”

“Not good”, the head engineer said shaking his head. “This train won’t move even an inch forward.”

“When can you open that road again?” Bicks asked.

“We have to ask mages to clean it and it might take days. Or we could open it with shovels and picks but that would take days too.”

He flinched.

“Are you mages, perhaps?” he asked and there was a glint of hope in his eyes.

“We are”, Laxus said. “But I don’t believe we have magic that could safely open the road.”

“We could destroy those cliffs completely”, Bicks grinned, making the engineers pale. “Should we do that?”

“We can’t”, Freed scolded. “That would bee too dangerous and it would affect the nature here too much.”

“You could use your runes so –“

“I can’t, today is not my day obviously”, Freed muttered and he drew some runes that disappeared almost immediately.

“My fairies are not suitable to destroy something that large”, Ever said looking at cliffs. “And Laxus would probably just destroy this whole area.”

“Shut up”, Laxus grunted.

The train engineers sighed.

“Well, it rarely happens that there is someone who can help right away”, the other one said.

“So are we just gonna stay put here and wait?” Bickslow asked. “We can’t do that! We have a client waiting for us!”

“Only way to get to Naava Town from here is either through that passage, or walking over the mountain”, the head engineer said and pointed a way. “If you start now and spend a night in the forest, you should arrive at the town tomorrow noon, depending how fast you can walk.”

“Then we’re going to do that”, Bickslow decided. “Right, guys?”

“Hold on, spend a night in the forest when it’s so cold here and snowing like hell?” Laxus said and Freed huffed. Of course Laxus wouldn’t agree.

“It’s alright”, he assured. “We can’t wait here, Bickslow needs to finish his mission so we get back to Fairy Tail before the trials.”

“You guys are from Fairy Tail?” the engineer asked curiously. “I’ve heard about that guild. It’s a strong one.”

“Thank you”, Freed nodded. “Laxus, we are going to hike over those mountains and you know that is the best solution. Other solution is that I will stay here and wait so you three can fly to Naava Town.”

“We won’t do that”, Ever said immediately. “We’re all going or we all stay.”

“Honestly, that does sound better than waiting here alone”, Freed confessed with a smile.

“Do you have any camping equipment?” the engineer asked.

“Only something, I’m afraid.”

“We can lend you a tent, but only one that is big enough for you four. But we can’t give you blankets and other stuff, since we need them here to keep other passengers warm through the night. But we can give you some food and water.”

“We understand”, Freed smiled. “It is a great help for us to have even that tent and food, thank you. Do you want us to do something once we arrive at the town?”

“We can take contact from here to the station, but if you could make sure they definitely know we are here, that would be great.”

“We will do that”, Freed promised. “Let’s start our hiking”, he said looking at others who nodded and they returned back in train to fetch their bags.

 

They got a map from the train with the tent and canned food so they could start their journey. In the forest there were lots of snow, but Bickslow and Laxus took care of it mostly, clearing a way for Ever and Freed to walk more easily.

“Do you think there are big beasts here?” Ever asked and she was clearly annoyed as her shoes were not suitable for walking in a snowy forest. But they were all so glad they had warm coats and in their bags they had more clothes and blankets.

“Sure there are, baby”, Bickslow grinned tamping the snow with his shoes. “All kinds of beasts.”

“We can keep them away”, Freed assured with a smile. “They won’t bother us.”

“Fuck, this sucks”, Laxus growled annoyed as he almost stumbled again over a root. “With Freed’s runes, we could easily push the snow away from our way...”

“Yes, but I can’t help it”, Freed shrugged.

They moved as fast as they could and didn’t stop to even eat something. It was finally starting to slowly get darker, when Freed had to stop panting heavily as they had climbed up the steep ground for hours already. At least the snowstorm had subsided.

“Bicks, Laxus”, Ever said to the duo that was walking ahead, making sure the path was safe to walk. “We have to stop. The town might be just over this mountain but we can’t walk in the darkness. It is too dangerous.”

“I agree”, Freed huffed.

“We could finally test if we can use Freed as a lamp”, Bickslow grinned.

“That’s not wise.”

Laxus and Bickslow finally nodded and they returned back to them.

“So now we need a place where to put that tent”, Laxus grumbled looking around.

“Piece of cake, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “Hey, get up”, he said and five Tiki dolls appeared from under his cape. “Alright, listen up, babies. We need a place for our tent. It has to be flat ground, make sure there are bushes around to give us more shelter and it can’t be near big rocks that might fall on us during the night. Keep your eyes open for a stream also so we can have water.”

“We got it!” dolls giggled and they flew away.

Freed sat down with Ever on the big tree trunk, after wiping some snow off of it.

“This is really frustrating”, he muttered. “We’re moving too slow.”

“Can’t help it now”, Laxus said. “It is true that it’s better to stop now, eat and sleep so we can start walking again when it gets brighter.”

“You three should have just flew to the town without me.”

“No, and enough with that”, Ever said. “We’ll get there soon enough”, she smiled.

They waited for a while, until Pappa appeared to fetch them and he lead them to a small area.

“This is great, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

“We’re good!” ‘babies’ giggled happily. “We found water!”

“That’s good”, Freed smiled. “Alright, let’s tamp the snow so we can set the tent. Do you remember how to find dry wood?” he asked looking at the dolls.

“We’ll find lots of wood!” they promised and there was a green flash as they took their human forms and skipped to the forest in different directions.

“I have to admit, they are really helpful with that form”, Ever said as they started to tamp snow. “Snow doesn’t bother them as much as us so it is easier for them to walk around here.”

After they had tamped the snow flat, they set up the tent. ‘Babies’ returned after a while so Ever lit up a fire for them, while Laxus, Bickslow and Freed piled up snow around the tent to make them more shelter against the wind and cold.

“I hate it when we have to eat canned food”, Ever muttered looking at Freed who opened the cans.

“Now you just have to tolerate it”, the rune mage said. “We don’t have anything else to eat and it is too dark to go hunting. Did you take out our blankets and extra clothes?”

“They are at the tent, Bickslow went to hang our bags on a tree”, Laxus said.

After everything was ready, they sat beside the fire and ate.

“What is this?” Ever asked poking a suspicious piece of meat with her spoon.

“Don’t stare it too much, it might stare you back, baby”, Bickslow laughed.

“Canned food is not that bad”, Freed assured. “Aren’t you glad you have even something to eat?”

“Sure, but I still don’t know what this is...” Ever muttered.

“It’s food so just eat it.”

“I don’t think this is so bad”, Laxus said eating his own portion. “Sure, it’s not as good as what we usually back and eat but it’s not bad either.”

Ever looked at Freed and Laxus curiously.

“You two haven’t talked about it at all, but when are you going to announce the big day?” she asked.

“What day?” Laxus asked and Freed seemed to be just as clueless.

“The wedding day”, Ever said rolling her eyes. “Have you talked about it at all yet?”

“No”, Freed confessed. “We have had so much other things to think about, we haven’t even thought about it.”

“You should”, Ever huffed. “It is an important day.”

“We don’t need anything special, right babe?” Laxus said and Freed nodded.

“Just something small and private among the Guild”, he smiled. “Something to eat, something to drink and Master can take care of the ceremony.”

“Man, that sounds… A lot like a regular Friday at Guild”, Bickslow snorted. “Why not do something bigger and flashier?”

“Why would we want to do that?” Laxus said. “In the end the only thing that is really important is that we get married. And Fairy Tail is our only family we want to be there for us.”

“But what about the cathedral?” Ever asked. “Don’t you want to get married in there?”

“I have no reason why we should”, Freed said shaking his head.

“Me neither”, Laxus said putting his empty plate aside. “And everyone in Fairy Tail only waits when they can eat and drink their minds off so there is no need to do something big and fancy.”

“Seriously, you two”, Ever sighed. “At least you’re planning to get some decorations?”

“Maybe something small”, Freed said.

“No, not something small”, Ever said determined. “That’s it, I’m going to be in charge of your wedding decorations, that is the least I can do to help you. You want to have the wedding at the Guild? Fine, but I will make sure the Guild House is at least properly decorated.”

Laxus rolled his eyes and Freed chuckled.

“If you really want, Ever”, he promised.

“Hey, what about me?” Bickslow asked. “What can I do? I’m gonna be the best man right? Seriously, if I can’t -”

“You can be my best man”, Laxus grinned patting his old friend’s shoulder. “I’d like that.”

“That’s awesome, baby!” Bicks cackled excited. “But what about Freed? Who’s your best man?”

“I can be his brother for one day so I can be his best man”, Ever giggled grabbing Freed’s arm in her hold. “I would never let anyone other than maybe Bickslow do that. I’ll even wear a suit and everything.”

“That is fine with me”, Freed laughed. “But you can wear a dress, I know you want to wear something pretty.”

“Thank you, sweetie. So when is the big day?”

“We haven’t talked about it at all yet”, Laxus said. “It’s not like we need to hurry anywhere.”

“I agree”, Freed nodded. “We have time. And if I’m completely honest, I don’t feel comfortable going through the wedding while pregnant. So it has to wait.”

“If you really feel that way”, Ever said. “Then”, she beamed happily. “What about the baby names? Have you come up with something?”

“I actually suggested that since the boy will be Dreyar, maybe we should name him after Laxus’ great-grandfather, Yuri Dreyar”, Freed smiled.

“I never knew the man”, Laxus said. “Don’t know what kind he was. Sure I know he was a good man, but still.”

“So what is your suggestion, baby?” Bicks asked.

“Freed knew his grandparents and loved them deeply, he inherited his love to books from his grandfather, Felix Justine, so why not use his name?” the lightning dragon slayer said and Freed was actually surprised.

“Felix Dreyar… That sounds kinda badass”, Bicks grinned.

“I thought so too”, Laxus smirked and Freed chuckled.

“I like that too”, Ever smiled. “What do you say, sweetie? Should we start calling him Felix now?”

“Well, I have nothing against it”, the rune mage said. “Thank you, Laxus”, he smiled kissing his mate. “That was really thoughtful of you.”

“Anytime, babe”, Laxus smirked. “I really like that name.”

They talked some more, until it started to snow again and the wind rose. They put out the fire and packed themselves in the tent, after dressing up more clothes. Freed and Ever got places from middle, while Laxus took his place next to Freed and Bickslow next to Ever. It wasn’t the first time they had to sleep in a small space like that so it was alright for them. This way they also stayed more warm, blankets and coats over and under them.

“Oh no...” Ever sighed.

“What?” Freed asked looking at the brunette.

“Without your runes to keep him quiet, we have to hear Bicks’ snoring all night...”

“Hey”, Bicks said. “For your information, it’s not like you never snore.”

“I don’t snore!” Ever yelled and if they weren’t so tightly squeezed against each other so moving was hard, she would have hit the seith mage.

“Yes you do, baby”, Bickslow cackled. “Right, guys?”

“Leave me out of this”, Freed said.

“I’m already sleeping”, Laxus muttered his eyes closed.

“You idiots”, Ever hissed and snuggled against Freed who chuckled. “Now keep quiet and let me sleep.”

“Good night”, Freed smiled.

“Good night”, Bicks yawned.

“Night”, Laxus murmured his face buried in Freed’s hair.


	56. Chapter 56

Freed woke up in the morning when there was moving around in the tent. Ever muttered something annoyed and turned to her other side, someone zipped open the tent’s door and Laxus grunted something. Yeah, when someone woke up when they were sleeping like this, they all woke up.

Freed yawned and stretched, sitting up and Ever had to let go of his braided green hair she had been hugging. And thank god he braided it before going to sleep, it would be a total mess otherwise now.

Carefully the rune mage moved Laxus’ arm and crawled towards the door. He stepped out after taking his coat he had used as a pillow and closed the tent’s flap after him.

“Morning, baby”, Bickslow grinned, just returning from woods after taking a leak.

“Good morning, Bicks”, Freed said and looked around. “The snowstorm might be over but it sure does make our hiking still challenging.”

“Yeah, but it’s okay. I sent my babies to gather more wood for us so we can start making coffee and breakfast, then we should start walking again.”

Freed nodded and he too waded his way through the snow to find a place where to empty his bladder. After he came back, Bickslow was already setting the fire.

“Thank you”, Freed said as he took the kettle from Pippi who had fetched some water.

“We wanna play snow fight!” ‘babies’ cheered.

“You go do that while we eat”, Freed nodded and five teenagers disappeared in the woods.

“How’s your magic today?” Bickslow asked.

Freed wrote some runes that made snow to melt around the fireplace. It didn’t happen immediately, but still it worked, leaving them a good snowless place where to sit.

“Awesome”, Bicks grinned. “This will help us a lot today.”

“I agree”, Freed smiled, satisfied that he could help his team again. Now he wasn’t just a hindrance and he could make sure Bickslow would make it back in time.

After ten minutes Laxus finally found his way out of the tent and joined them, in a short while Ever did the same. Their breakfast was fast and there was only little bit talking, as they were all just hoping to get out of these woods. Warm shower, good food and soft beds were in their minds as they did their normal morning rituals what they could, packed everything and started walking again.

 

After two hours of walking they were finally at the top of the mountain. They could move faster now when Freed could use his runes so there was less snow to slow them down.

“This is amazing”, Evergreen gasped as they looked around.

They had absolutely perfect view all around them and the sun was making the untouched snow glimmer beautifully. They saw the other mountains and forests, cliffs and some little villages.

“I can see the train”, Bicks smirked pointing down. Far away there was indeed their train that was still standing in its place.

“And that is our destination”, Laxus said looking at the other side of the mountain.

They also walked beside Laxus and looked down. Naava Town was not that big, maybe half of the size of Magnolia. It seemed like an old town, just like Hargeon but it had it’s own atmosphere.

“Now we only need to get down”, Ever smiled. “The view here is great, it was definitely worth all the climbing, but I really want to have a hot bath after this.”

“I want some real food after that canned shit”, Laxus grinned.

“You said it was alright”, Freed noted.

“Yeah, it was, but still. I don’t want to eat it if I can have something else.”

“It still takes hours before we get there”, Freed chuckled. “And if we get hungry, you don’t have other choice but to eat what we have.”

“Damn”, Laxus muttered.

“Oh! I know, I know!” Bickslow beamed suddenly excited. “I got an idea! An _awesome_ idea!”

“Of course you did”, Freed sighed rubbing his face.

“You guys are gonna love this! Just give me a little bit time, I’ll meet you guys there at that spot where that big rock is”, the seith mage said, pointing down few hundred feet and then he disappeared in the forest with his Tiki dolls. The three of them just shrugged and started their journey at the meeting place.

They waited for around half an hour. They were starting to get cold after just sitting around so long, but finally Bickslow appeared and he was dragging something along with a rope.

“What is that?” Laxus frowned looking at what seemed like somekind of a tree trunk that Bickslow had modified rounder from it’s ends. Or half of it.

“That, baby, is our ride to that town”, Bicks grinned.

“You can’t be serious?” Freed sighed.

“You wanna walk instead?”

“That’s insane”, Laxus said looking at the ‘sled’. “But it might actually work”, he said and had to smirk as this actually was kinda thrilling.

“Laxus, not you too”, Freed whined.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t work”, Laxus reasoned and Bicks laughed. “It goes down, it goes faster than we walk so why not?”

“Why not? What if there is a rock or a tree in our way?”

“So let’s just not hit it”, Laxus shrugged and Freed groaned.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but it might actually be kinda fun”, Ever giggled. “When we were younger we went out sledding from time to time in Magnolia, remember?”

“Right? It’s going to be awesome”, Bicks grinned. “Babies can steer it if we tie them at the corners so we can avoid all the obstacles.”

“I still don’t think this is a good idea”, Freed huffed.

“Trust me, baby. I won’t let it hit anything. At least not too badly.”

They tied the Tiki dolls down so they could take care of turning the ‘sled’ when needed, but still free themselves if necessary. Then they set the trunk on snow, head towards the town and took their places. Bickslow first as he commanded ‘babies’ which turn to take, Evergreen after him and then Freed and Laxus at the rear.

“I’m still sceptic if this can really work”, Freed said worried.

“Don’t worry, if we crash I’ll catch you”, Laxus smirked. “Let’s enjoy the ride.”

“Let’s go then”, Bickslow grinned. “Everybody ready?” he asked but didn’t actually even wait for the answers, as the tree trunk already started sliding down.

It wasn’t that bad at first but then suddenly the ground got more steep and their speed accelerated immediately. Freed grabbed tight grasp of the sides of their ‘sled’ and he had no idea was he terrified or excited. This certainly had it’s own thrill!

“To the left! To the left!” Bickslow commanded and they did their best to help ‘babies’ to turn the tree trunk by leaning on the other side.

“Oh my god!” Ever gasped but also laughed, when they just barely missed a big tree and kept sliding down the hill.

“Right!” Bicks said his commands. “Left! The other left! The other left, to the right!” he panicked and Freed gasped when they hit the rock, sending the sled on the new direction but at least they were still at one piece.

It was really confusing as they just kept going with high speed, trying to dodge everything, bumping and almost falling so many times Freed was sure his ass would be sore for the next few days.

But yet still, he noticed he was also yelling with others, when excited, when scared when it seemed they were about to crash. It truly was an experience one of a kind and he wasn’t sure if he was happy or regretful that they took it.

Finally the trees ended but the hill was just as steep as before, not letting their speed to drop even for a second.

“Oh fuck!” Bickslow suddenly yelled. “Dead end!”

“What?!”

“There is a cliff! We’re gonna get thrown down!”

“Fly!” Freed yelled and he wrote the runes for his wings.

When the trunk flew over the cliff, they all managed to stay in air without a harm.

“Good thing your runes still worked”, Bicks grinned looking at Freed.

“I agree”, the swordsman huffed looking how their ‘sled’ disappeared down in the deep dark gorge.

“We would have caught you if your wings wouldn’t have worked”, Ever assured.

“I know”, Freed smiled.

They landed on the other side of the gorge.

“That was amazing”, Bickslow grinned. “Admit it, you guys loved it too.”

“We loved it!” ‘babies’ chirped.

“It could have ended better, but it was still pretty awesome”, Laxus smirked bumping fists with Bickslow.

“Big kids”, Ever said rolling her eyes. “At least we’re almost at the town.”

“Yeah, it won’t take even an hour or two to walk from here”, Bickslow smiled.

They started walking, but they didn’t get far when suddenly they realised there were three riders approaching them.

“What are those?” Bickslow asked curiously looking at their mounts. They were big animals with long thick fur, big horns and long legs. It seemed like they had absolutely no problems walking in deep snow. It didn’t slow them down at all as they walked ahead.

“Kilibuks, very common animals here”, Freed explained. “Very reliable and strong mounts here in the high mountain areas with lots of snow.”

They stopped and waited as the riders approached. They did nothing to show that they were enemies, but they were still cautious just in case.

“Good morning, travellers”, the head rider said as they stopped at the appropriate distance. All three of them were wearing big fur coats to keep them warm.

“Good morning”, Freed said, as he was usually the one who took care of speaking at these situations.

“Was it you four who came down the mountains with a sled just moments ago? That is not very wise because of all the gulleys.”

“Yes, we understand the risks, but we had to come across the mountains since the landslide had blocked the passage between cliffs and the train couldn’t arrive”, Freed explained.

That seemed to make the riders flinch and looked at each other.

“We haven’t heard about it”, one of them finally said. “Is that true?”

“Yes, there is a train full of passengers just at the other side of the mountain where we came from”, Ever said.

“They told us they could take contact with you, but obviously they couldn’t because some reason?” Freed asked.

“No-one had mentioned anything about it. We have been of course concerned because the train have not arrived since yesterday, but we didn’t assume it was something that urgent. We must send aid for them immediately. Hop on”, the head rider said and he waved his hand.

Snow moved and suddenly it created two beautiful white sleds behind two other rider’s kilibuks.

“The landslide looked pretty bad”, Laxus said as they climbed on the sleds and the kilibuks started moving like there was no extra weight behind them at all. “You guys might need mages.”

“We have mages just for this kind of cases, we will send them to help”, one of the riders assured. “Thank you for coming all this way over the mountain to tell us.”

“Well we kinda had also our own business here and we don’t have that much time so we didn’t wait there”, Bickslow said. “So it’s just a happy coincidence.”

“Coincidence or not, we are still grateful.”

The kilibuks headed towards the town with a good pace. When they finally entered at the road where there was not much snow, suddenly they started running with high speed, strong hoofs hitting the ground heavily.

Towns people moved aside from their way as they dashed through the streets and Freed looked around curiously. This town was old and beautiful. He could hardly wait so he could see the library if the town itself was this magnificent.

The kilibuks stopped at the train station finally and the riders hopped down from their saddles. Laxus and the Thunder Legion followed them right after and they repeated everything to the station manager, who started to assemble mages and riders for rescue.

After few moments of chaos, Freed stepped outside the station with others. They had managed to return the tent and gave some money as payment for the food and now they were free to go.

“I hope everything is alright at the train”, Ever said.

“I’m sure they are alright”, Freed assured. “They had food and blankets. There’s nothing we can do more right now at least.”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded. “Might as well go see that client now, we were supposed to arrive yesterday already.”


	57. Chapter 57

Laxus, Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow walked towards their client’s house and looked around while doing it.

“This town is so beautiful”, Ever smiled.

“It is”, Freed nodded. “I’m really happy that we decided to come along with you two.”

“We?” Laxus said rising his eyebrow.

“Alright, I decided”, Freed admitted. “But it’s not like you really fought against this decision. I know you would have done a lot more if you really wanted us to stay in Magnolia”, he smirked smugly and Laxus muttered something. “Bicks, since you’re now the leader of this mission, what do you want to do first?”

“What?” Bicks said surprised.

“I can’t do the decisions”, Freed huffed. “I’m not part of this mission, remember? And you’re the one who chose this mission and asked Ever to join you, you are responsible of the team.”

“What about Laxus?” the seith mage asked.

“Sorry, I’m here just to look after Freed but I will help you guys if you need anything”, Laxus promised. “Consider me as a backup for tough situations.”

“Alright”, Bicks grinned. “This is gonna be good.”

“Don’t you dare order me around for some petty little things like fetching something for you”, Ever hissed dangerously.

“Not my style, baby”, Bicks cackled. “Don’t worry. I just wanna get this job done so we can go home. Okay, Let’s go see the client first, ask more about this mission and stuff and then find a place where we can crash and eat.”

“Sounds like a plan”, Laxus nodded.

“Do you know where our – no, not our, your client”, Freed quickly corrected when Laxus scowled at him. “Lives?”

“Yeah, I got the address.”

They followed Bickslow, until they arrived at one of the old stores that was clearly a book store. They had seen at least ten similar stores on their way here. If Freed weren’t so curious about this mission, he would have already gone and buried himself with books.

Bickslow grabbed the old antique door knocker and let out three sharp knocks. Then they just waited. And waited.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Laxus asked annoyed.

“Yeah, the address is the same”, Bicks assured and he knocked harder this time.

“Maybe they are out?” Ever asked. “They couldn’t know when we would come, so they might be out shopping or similar.”

“That is a possibility”, Freed nodded. “We should wait.”

“Dammit”, Laxus grunted. “Why can’t the client never make us wait when we are somewhere where it’s not this cold outside?”

“Someone’s coming!” ‘babies’ announced, as they were looking at the window above the big door.

“Finally”, Laxus grumbled.

“Back to sleep, babies”, Bickslow grinned and let his Tiki dolls disappear under his cape.

Again they waited, until they heard steps. Small steps. And a cane. Finally the door’s lock clacked and then there was a small creak as it opened. They had to lower their gazes so they could see the tiny old woman with a white big bun of hair.

“Yes? The book store is closed right now”, she said leaning on her cane. “You didn’t see the sign?”

“Sign?” Bicks said confused. “No, there’s no sign here?”

“Then you should look again, we are closed.”

“Do you perhaps mean this sign, Madam?” Freed asked politely, pointing at the sign that was hanging on the inside of the door.

The old lady looked at the sign for a moment.

“Seems like I forgot to put it on it’s place”, she finally stated. “Fine, but make your shopping quickly, I’m in a hurry”, she commanded and let them in, making sure this time that she hanged the ‘Closed’-sign on the outside of the door.

“Are you the owner of this book store?” Bickslow asked.

“Yes, and who are you if I may ask?”

“I’m Bickslow, this is Evergreen, Freed Justine and Laxus Dreyar. Me and Ever answered to your job request from Fairy Tail.”

“Oh, so you finally got here”, the white haired woman smiled now happily. “I started to worry you had chickened out at the last minute and cancelled the job.”

“Mages from Fairy Tail wouldn’t do something like that”, Ever assured with a confident smile.

“Aren’t you a cute little girl. But if you two are the ones doing the job, why are those two here?” the book store owner asked pointing at Freed and Laxus with her cane.

“They’re sight-seeing”, Bicks grinned. “Freed wanted to go sniff in that apparently famous library this town has. And you were...?”

“Madam Roxanne”, the old woman introduced herself. “Well, since there is no need to stay at the store, we can as well go to my apartment at the other side of the building.”

They nodded and followed her. Freed managed to get a glimpse around enough to notice the store had two floors at least and his fingers were aching to get to go through with all books it had.

Roxanne led them to the door behind the desk and they stepped to the hallway.

“Kvestor!” she suddenly yelled making them all almost jump. For an old woman, Roxanne sure had good lungs. “Kvestor! Where did you go, you little fur ball?!”

“Madam, right here, Madam”, they heard a voice and quick steps.

Their eyes widened slightly when they saw a silver tabby exceed appear behind the corner. Kvestor was a chubby cat with fluffy fur, wearing a blue pointy hat and a red bow on his neck. With a little bell that tingled with every step.

“There you are, Kvestor. Our visitors finally arrived”, Roxanne said.

“It is an honour to meet you all”, Kvestor smiled adjusting his hat better. “I’m the one who talked with miss Mirajane from Fairy Tail, when she called me and told me there was someone who wanted to take the job. We have heard so much about the famous Laxus Dreyar and his Thunder Legion.”

“He’s famous or something?” Roxanne asked surprised.

“He is the man called the Thunder God, Madam. One of the most powerful mages there are, despite his young age. He even won Jura Neekis at the Grand Magic Games!”

“Time has passed since then”, Laxus said.

“But still! That was a magnificent victory! And he is one of the famous dragon slayers!”

“That cat sounds like Freed”, Bicks snorted and the rune mage gave him a glare.

“I’m not here officially to take part of the mission, I just give some help if Bicks and Ever need it”, Laxus grumbled. “Only if they need it. Otherwise I’m just staying with Freed”, he said nodding towards Freed.

“My, you’ve got yourself in a big trouble, sugar”, Roxanne cackled looking at Freed who blushed slightly. “This ain’t my first time seeing a pregnant man, but it sure does surprise me every time when I see one.”

“Umm...” Freed stuttered when he just didn’t know what to say.

“Life is a mystery, isn’t it? But that’s a good thing, that way we won’t get bored”, Roxanne said. ”And if I’m not wrong – And I usually ain’t – this famous God here is the one responsible of this little sugar cube?” she smirked pointing at Laxus.

“That’s correct”, Ever giggled when looking at slightly blushing Laxus. “It wasn’t that hard to guess?”

“Don’t you underestimate elder folk, cutie”, Roxanne laughed. “These eyes has seen more than you can even imagine there is in life. And you, what’s with that haircut?” she asked looking at Bickslow.

“That’s just how I like it, baby”, Bicks grinned. “A little bit characteristics ain’t bad, right?”

“Now that’s a good boy!” Roxanne cackled and she lead them to the living room. “Have you four eaten yet anything?”

“Just breakfast, Madam”, Freed said. “We had to travel over the mountain since our train had to stop because of the landslide on tracks.”

“Breakfast? Sugar, that isn’t good. It’s already midday.”

“Couldn’t help it, we didn’t have much to eat with us”, Laxus said looking around in the living room. Antique looking furnitures, some paintings, old photos in their frames, books… And that funny smell there always was when visiting old peoples’ houses, what was that? “Just some canned food.”

“Canned food? Hah! That ain’t food I tell you. It’s just canned lies that even Kvestor wouldn’t eat and you can tell he ain’t a cat who easily says no to food. I’m gonna make you some real food, kids. Who wants to have Madam Roxanne’s famous hunter’s stew?” Roxanne smiled.

“I do!” Kvestor said.

“That sounds delicious”, Bickslow grinned.

“But it is not necessary”, Freed assured. “We can afford our own meals so there is no need to bother -”

“Don’t you talk back to your elders, sugar”, Roxanne scolded. “When Madam Roxanne tells you to eat, you eat. The end.”

“You really shouldn’t argue with Madam about this”, Kvestor whispered.

“She’s almost as bad as Porlyusica”, Laxus muttered.

Cane’s handle caught his coat’s collar and he was yanked down, looking at those old green eyes.

“I’m old, not deaf, honeycomb”, Roxanne warned. “And don’t you badmouth Porlyusica, she happens to be a friend of mine.”

“She has friends?” Ever asked surprised.

“You believe that, cutie”, Roxanne said letting go of Laxus who muttered something annoyed. “So anyway, I’m gonna start making the stew, you kids behave while I’m doing it.”

“At least let us help”, Freed smiled. “That is the least we can do.”

“You take care of that sugar cube. I’m gonna be just fine, this ain’t the first time I’m making food for a bigger group. Kvestor, show them where the sheets are and make the guest rooms ready. They’re going to guard the shop so it’s better that they stay”, Roxanne decided and she went to the kitchen, humming something.

“Right away, Madam”, Kvestor promised. “This way if you please”, he said and headed towards the stairs that were covered with beautiful colourful carpet.

“I have a good tingle in my bones that this job is going to be awesome”, Bickslow cackled as they followed the silver tabby exceed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry that I have to say this, but it is highly possible that there won’t be a new chapter before next Saturday. My next week is going to be super busy so I might not have time to write at all. I’m sorry, babies, please forgive me T^T


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Things took a lot longer than I imagined but now I'm back and I can continue writing! ^^ Thank you for all of your support, kudos, comments and most of all reading my story!

Kvestor showed them the closet where sheets were.

“This is a big house”, Freed noticed as they walked through the big hallway.

“Yes, it has been in Madam’s family for generations already”, Kvestor nodded. “It is really sad that she doesn’t have much relatives anymore, though...”

“She doesn’t?” Ever asked. “I thought… I mean she doesn’t somehow appear to be a person who doesn’t want a family...”

“She had a daughter”, Kvestor nodded opening one of the doors in the hallway. “But she has passed away over twenty years ago. Yet still, sometimes she does sit on a chair in the living room and she just goes through old photos. She clearly misses her much no matter how much time passes.”

Suddenly the exceed jumped and looked at them scared.

“Oh my, I probably shouldn’t have told that”, he said. “Please keep it to yourselves, I don’t think Madam would like it if she hears that I have blabbered something so personal about her.”

“Don’t worry, it’s none of our business at the first place”, Laxus said. “We won’t say anything to her or anyone else.”

“Thank you, sir”, Kvestor sighed relieved. “Well, this is room for you two”, he said to Laxus and Freed.

In the room there were a sturdy, beautifully etched box-like bed with a mattress. There were also a closet, a rack for their coats, a small table, a wardrobe and a window with beautiful curtains. There were big piles of snow at the windowsill outside but in the room there was warm and cosy.

“Pillows and blankets are in the closet. I hope you like this”, Kvestor said.

“We like this, don’t worry, Kvestor”, Freed assured and while Kvestor went to show rooms for Evergreen and Bickslow, Freed and Laxus started to make the bed.

“Man, it feels like there is no winter out there at all”, the blond said surprised while shifting the sheet on the mattress. “This house is really warm.”

“It sure is”, Freed nodded taking out their pillows from the closet. “Most of the buildings here are log houses and they are perfect for climate here. And I personally think log houses are really beautiful.”

“Yeah, guess they are”, Laxus nodded. “They are warm houses, that’s enough for me.”

“They have to be, winters here are very different than in Magnolia”, Freed chuckled and he put the pillows on the bed when they were covered with new sheets.

“More snow for instance”, Laxus snorted pulling out the blankets. One for sleeping and one for just in case they might feel cold at night.

“Definitely”, Freed smiled.

After making the bed they returned back to the living room. Kvestor was already there, assembling stuff and cleaning dust.

“Hey, fluffy”, Laxus said when they sat down. “How did you end up here?”

“Me?” Kvestor asked surprised.

“Yeah. Did you just crash on her window one day or what?”

“No”, Kvestor laughed straightening the picture frames after dusting them. “I was travelling around and Madam Roxanne was so kind to give me a place where to stay last winter when it was really cold. I helped her with cleaning and running the book store, doing grocery shopping and similar. Somehow I just ended up staying here”, he smiled. “I love living here, I like giving some company for Madam and helping her out how I can.”

“Freed, you and that cat could be brothers”, Bickslow cackled, stepping in the living room with Ever. “You worship Laxus, he worships Roxanne. And maybe a little bit Laxus too, he did sound like a fanboy earlier.”

“Har har”, Freed huffed.

“Have you seen Roxanne yet?” Ever asked sitting down.

“No, she’s still busy at the kitchen”, Laxus said.

“Are you sure she doesn’t need any help?” Freed asked from Kvestor.

“Absolutely”, he assured. “There is no need to worry about her. Madam is perfectly capable to take care of herself, I just enjoy helping her.”

They waited a while more, until they heard steps and a cane.

“Alright, kids”, Roxanne smiled peeking at the living room. “Dinner is ready, so go wash your hands and take seats in the dining room.”

After doing what was told they stepped in the dining room and took their seats. Kvestor used his tiny little fluffy wings and flapped his way to the dish cabinet, setting the table.

“I hope you’re hungry”, Roxanne cackled when she stepped in the dining room with the catering trolley and Bickslow stood up to lift the big pot on the table. “Thank you, cookie. Now take off that helmet, you’re sitting in a dining table”, she scolded.

“Yes, Madam”, Bicks said quickly grabbing his helmet off and put it to hang on his seat’s back.

“Oh, you’ve got a tattoo”, Roxanne said noticing the man-shaped tattoo on Bicks’ face. “And such a beautiful eyes. You look a lot like my grandson.”

“You have a grandson?” Freed asked curious.

“Yes, he is one of the town’s guards. Sometimes he visits to see how I’m doing, but mostly he is too busy with his so damn important job to come and even say hello”, Roxanne huffed lifting the lid of the stew pot. “I tell you, it is not healthy to be that serious all the time. I know he’s gonna do big things and I’m really proud of him, but sometimes I feel like that boy just don’t know how to have some fun.”

“Sounds like an uptight person”, Ever said. “Nothing like our Bickslow”, she giggled.

“Hey, it’s not bad to have some fun, baby”, Bicks grinned.

“You said it, cookie”, Roxanne cackled. “Now give me those plates so we can start eating.”

 

After the good meal they all sat on the living room, almost unable to move even a finger after eating so much.

“Freed, you’ve got some serious challenger in cooking department”, Bickslow grinned while slumping on one of the chairs. “That hunter’s stew was awesome.”

“I agree”, Freed smiled. “It really was delicious. I would like to have your recipe for that stew if possible?”

“Sugar, you need at least fifty years still before you can make a stew like that”, Roxanne chuckled. “That is just an ordinary hunter’s stew, but it’s the years and years of making it that has honed it to its perfection. You’ll get there, don’t rush.”

“I will remember your advice”, Freed nodded.

“Could you tell us more about that mission now?” Laxus asked. “We still don’t know what has happened here.”

“Wasn’t it written in the sheet? There has been burglars!” Roxanne snapped. “They appeared once last week and again four days ago.”

“Have they stolen something yet? Or are they looking for something specific?” Ever asked.

“Not sure, cutie. But I have a good guess what it might be. I ain’t gonna let those thieves have it, though. It is too dangerous to let just anyone handle it”, Roxanne huffed.

“What is it?” Bicks asked. “Some kind of a book?”

“What do you think? I have a book store, of course it’s a book”, Roxanne said. “Do you see anything worth enough to steal here? Only even slightly valuable things I have are in the book store.”

“So what kind of a book are we talking about?” Freed asked curiously.

“A spell book, I think.”

“You think?”

“You see, it’s written with a language I’m not familiar with”, Roxanne explained. “I have seen many books in my life but never one like that. I haven’t even heard about a book like that before and that says a lot.”

“Maybe it is somekind of an ancient language?” Freed suggested.

“I’m familiar with many languages, even ancient ones, but that I don’t recognize”, Roxanne assured. “It’s more like it’s somekind of a code.”

“Wow”, Bicks grinned. “This is getting really interesting.”

“Why don’t you just drop it to someone who might crack the code?” Laxus asked.

“You ain’t the smart one are you, honeycomb?” Roxanne snorted. “I can’t do something like that just like that. The results might be disastrous.”

“Do you really think that book might have that big secrets inside it?” Laxus grumbled. “It’s just a book.”

“Do you have any idea how many thousands of years people have written down their secrets in books and similar?” Roxanne said. “There are books that hold the power to destroy even whole nations. In the wrong hands, one book might cause massive destruction when it’s owner learns how to use the secrets that it holds inside its covers. So you show some respect towards books, honey.”

“Then why there has to be books like those?” Laxus asked. “Why keep something that could cause something that bad?”

“Because humans are stupid, that’s why”, Roxanne huffed.

“Now I believe they can be friends with Porlyusica”, Ever whispered to Freed.

“What Madam is trying to say”, Kvestor said. “Is that these kinds of books come with great value that often blinds people, even those with a good heart. Some people are ready to pay insane sums of jewels to get them. There are also usually spells on those books that prevent destroying them. And then there are just those who are curious and feel like they are part of the history and they should not be destroyed.”

“So this book is something that cannot be destroyed?” Bicks asked.

“Apparently, yes”, Roxanne nodded. “That is what I managed to understand. You hit it with a spell, it mirrors the attack right back. And who knows, there might be more spells protecting it if you manage to break that one spell.”

“Then we just need to hit it with enough force so it simply can’t counter attack”, Laxus said.

“You are one dumb God, honeycomb.”

“Freed, maybe you could take a look at that book?” Ever suggested before Laxus would snap finally and Freed flinched. “Maybe you could do something about it?”

“I know a lot about runes, languages and many other things, but not codes”, the swordsman said shaking his head.

“You’re smart, I’m sure you could break it if you tried.”

“But it might not be a good idea”, Freed huffed. “We might open something that we cannot close and we might end up being responsible of multiple deaths of innocent people.”

“But sure just peeking it wouldn’t hurt?” Bicks smirked. “Please, baby? This is getting too thrilling!”

“Your mom never told you what happened to the cat that was too curious?” Roxanne asked looking at the seith mage. “That story didn’t have a happy ending, just so you know.”

“Dunno, never met my mom”, Bicks shrugged. “I just drifted in streets until I happened to find my way to Fairy Tail.”

“I have heard most of the members there are orphans”, Roxanne said looking at them. “Does the same go with all of you?”

“Gramps is still there”, Laxus said.

“I actually have a grandfather, though we are not in very good terms”, Freed said.

“I never met my parents”, Ever said shaking her head. “It is true that most of us don’t know at all where we are from. Somehow we just happened to end up in Fairy Tail.”

“That is our home, no matter where we are”, Bicks grinned. “I know! Why don’t we take that book to Fairy Tail?” he suggested. “That way it would be guarded by many strong wizards who wouldn’t let anything happen, so no-one could use it for evil deeds and it would solve Granny’s problem with burglars.”

“I don’t think Gramps would exactly jump with joy if we do that”, Laxus said leaning against the back of the couch. “But it’s not like there hasn’t been big secrets hidden inside Fairy Tail before.”

They all knew that well.

“It is true we have better resources to make sure no-one can use that book”, Freed nodded.

“What do you say, Madam?” Ever asked looking at Roxanne.

“Granny?” Roxanne said. “Do I look like some old hag who is ready to die at any minute?” she snapped at Bickslow.

“No, Madam”, the seith mage said quickly. “Not at all.”

“Good. And do you have any idea what kind of a risk it could be to move that book to another town?”

“Where did you get it anyway?” Laxus asked. “And how can you make sure no-one can snatch it from here?”

Roxanne huffed and suddenly for a moment there was sadness that shadowed her old but kind face. But it disappeared just as fast as it appeared.

“It was my daughter who found it while she travelled around the country”, she explained and Kvestor poured more tea for her, as he knew it was not easy for the old lady to talk about her daughter. “She was the curious cat who didn’t have a happy ending.”

They all shared a look and finally Ever decided to be the bravest.

“What happened to her?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. She was always craving for adventures and wanted to know more and more… She hardly stayed at home even for a week every time when she finally came home again. Longest time she had to stay was because she was having a baby. But after that...”

“She just continued?” Laxus asked. “Just like that?”

“Yes. It’s not like I blame her, her father was just like her. Always travelling and looking for new books and information what to write down… That’s what finally got him, as he got involved into something he shouldn’t. And that I believe is what got Briana too…” Roxanne sighed. “It was two years after when she had left, she suddenly returned and gave that book, saying I should keep it somewhere safe. Then in the morning, she was gone. It took five long years before I heard a word of her, only to hear she was dead.”

“We are so sorry”, Ever whispered. “That must have been horrible.”

“Can’t deny that, cutie”, Roxanne nodded. “And the pain never goes away, but we must continue living our lives no matter what. I still have my grandson who I raised and took care of”, she smiled. “And even if he is sometimes too busy, he’s still a wonderful boy who makes sure this town will remain peaceful.”

“That is good to hear”, Freed smiled. “So you’re not here all alone.”

“No, sugar. And I have Kvestor here to keep me company”, Roxanne smiled scratching Kvestor under his chin to make him purr.

“But now that book is causing you troubles”, Laxus said. “Are you sure those burglars are after it specifically?”

“Pretty sure. They have gone through books in my store, but never took any of them. Just tossed them around like some garbage, those damn weasels! They have no respect for books!” the old lady said annoyed. “Sure, there might be some new things like that communicator lacrima or whatever, but nothing can surpass the feeling of books. They held different powers, knowledge, history and mysteries inside them. I tell you, without books, people would be nothing more than just ignorant fools who repeat old mistakes over and over again.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Madam”, Freed said. “People would then tell stories and pass down information by talking.”

“But every time you tell a story, it changes slightly. And information is easy to forget if not written down. Books are such a treasure, but nowadays people don’t even realize it. Every day, they read less and less books and thinks the past is not important so why should they read about something that happened many years ago? There can’t be future without past. Past is created in the moment new life is born, even before that.”

“Not knowing own past… I never thought about it much”, Ever said.

“Everybody has their own past, that is undying fact”, Roxanne said. “Not every story can be written down no matter what that’s true, so there are people who have no idea where they are from, why they exist or what is their inheritance. Then they can only focus on the future. Future is important obviously, but knowing their past people could make better choices to make their future even better.”

“Well, some of us just ain’t lucky enough to have that luxury of knowing their past, books or not”, Bicks said. “And what can we do about it?”

“Nothing”, Roxanne sighed. “And it’s sad it has to happen. With all their knowledge and power, not even books can help with everything. There is no such a thing in this world that could magically make everything better.”

She stood up leaning against her cane.

“But enough with that”, she said. “This conversation only makes us sad and we don’t want that. There is no good future if we get too tangled with sad thoughts about things we can’t change from past”, she smiled. “You should go to bed and rest since you’re going to stay awake the whole night, I will prepare you some dinner before that and snacks so you won’t starve at night.”

“Thank you, Madam”, Ever smiled standing up with others.

Freed was just about to follow Bicks and Ever to the stairs, when cane’s handle grabbed his belt.

“Where are you going, sugar?” Roxanne said.

“I… Just thought...” Freed said, when he realized there was no need for him to go anywhere, since of course he wasn’t going to take part of the job.

“There is no need for you to stay awake for the night, and you shouldn’t”, Roxanne said. “You and your God are coming with me to the town.”

“What are we doing there?” Laxus asked slightly curious.

“We have to buy some groceries if you’re going to stay couple of days”, Roxanne cackled. “So go get your coats, we have lots of things to buy.”


	59. Chapter 59

Freed looked around while they helped Roxanne to buy what she needed. They also stopped at one of the book stores so Freed had a change to go through some books while Roxanne talked with the owner.

“This sucks”, Laxus groaned leaning against the wall again. “Why does she have to talk with those others anyway?”

“Who knows, but it is not our business”, Freed said flipping pages. “Are you busy to go doing something else?” he asked amused looking at the blond, who huffed.

“No, but this is just boring”, he said.

“Sometimes things are boring, honeycomb. Get used to it.”

“You are not gonna start using that nickname”, Laxus growled, making Freed chuckle. “Can’t we just go? We can take all the groceries, Roxanne can walk home when she’s ready.”

“You can go”, Freed promised looking at the books.

“What? Why won’t you come?”

“Don’t you remember who you’re talking with? I happen to enjoy my time here”, Freed said looking at Laxus. “Why is it that much of a surprise for you? We are at the book store.”

“But there’s nothing but books here.”

“That’s why it is called a book store”, Freed chuckled.

“I know some books can be really good and it is nice to read sometimes but can they really be that interesting?” Laxus grumbled looking at the pile of books Freed had found already. “Are you planning to buy those all?”

“I just make a list what I might buy when we leave the town”, Freed smiled writing another book on his list. “I’ll then pick the most interesting books and buy them.”

“You’re not gonna buy that much books”, Laxus forbid. “You can’t even carry them home.”

“You can carry them for me?” Freed smirked and Laxus sighed.

“Fine, just don’t buy every fucking book you find slightly interesting”, he grumbled. “We don’t have that much space in my house.”

They both slightly tensed up. They haven’t even talked about their living situation. Would Freed move in with Laxus? Did they have enough space for the three of them?

“Um… I guess you’re right”, the rune mage sighed silently, putting books back in the bookshelf. “Of course. We need a whole room for Felix and his items, probably even more. It might be that I need to pack some of my books and put them at the attic.”

“We’ll figure something out”, Laxus promised touching Freed’s cheek softly. “We can get a bigger house, you know?” he suggested.

“But you have lived in that house for so long”, Freed said surprised. “Wouldn’t it be sad to leave it?”

“Sure, but that’s not a reason good enough to stay if it’s not convenient for us. I know you don’t want to just pack your books in boxes and put them in the attic, you wanna see them in shelves. So let’s just find a new home where we have enough space for all of us”, Laxus smiled pulling Freed closer.

“I like that idea”, Freed smiled brushing Laxus’ cheek with his fingers. “Maybe Bicks and Ever would like to rent your place? It’s big enough for them, we could find something near it.”

“Whatever you want, babe”, Laxus smirked kissing Freed. 

They waited for a while more, until Roxanne was ready and they stepped back on the street. They shopped some more food groceries and similar from the market.

“You kids wait here, I’ll be right back”, Roxanne said when they stopped in front of one of the buildings. “I would take you with me but my friend here doesn’t really like strangers.”

“We can wait here”, Freed nodded. “There is no need to rush.”

“Just don’t take all day”, Laxus murmured.

“Grab some snacks from the booth if you get hungry”, Roxanne just said and she stepped in the house.

“Might as well buy some nuts”, Laxus muttered stomping over to the booth, scaring the poor man who was selling the roasted nuts.

Freed let his gaze wander around the marketplace. It wasn’t like in Magnolia here. There were lots of people walking around but the feeling was different. There was no rush. Well, Magnolia was very much different than Naava town, so it was no wonder. Freed smiled when he saw kids playing in snow, building forts and then starting snow fights. He remembered how they used to do that too before Laxus… Well, he was glad that stage was over.

Painfully familiar noises snapped Freed back from his thoughts and he looked towards Laxus. Jealousy lifted it’s ugly head inside him when he saw how there were girls swarming around Laxus when one of them had recognized him from the Sorcerer Weekly. The rune mage smiled slightly when Laxus only seemed annoyed because of the girls who were standing on his way. If things went bad, of course he would go and safe his Thunder God.

“Hey.”

Freed turned around surprised when someone was talking to him.

“Yes?” he said looking at the man with a long white, fur-lined coat and dark long hair. “How can I help?”

“I just noticed your friend is in a quite a pinch”, the man chuckled looking at Laxus.

“Well, he is rather famous and to be honest, why wouldn’t anyone like him?” Freed smiled proudly, crossing his arms. “So sometimes things like these are bound to happen, they will leave him alone soon.”

“Really? For me it seems like he is secretly enjoying their attention.”

“Laxus? No, trust me. He’s pissed if anything. Where ever we go, there are always some girls who admire him and want to date him, but he has no interest in them.”

“Is that so?” man with the long coat said. “My name is Ketkel. I believe I know you, since you’re with famous Laxus Dreyar”, he grinned. “You must be Freed Justine, am I right?”

“Yes”, Freed said and of course he felt a slight amount of pride, since he was recognized too.

“I knew it. I was really surprised when I saw you, what are you guys doing in a town like this?” Ketkel asked curious. “I believe the whole Thunder Legion is here?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded. “We have a mission here. Well, Bickslow and Evergreen have, me and Laxus are here just in case something happens.”

“Really? Doesn’t the Thunder Legion always work together?”

“We usually do, but the situation right now is what it is so it’s not possible. So Bicks and Ever will do the job while me and Laxus stay aside.”

“It must be annoying, I can believe a mage like you is used to do jobs and not just stand aside”, Ketkel smirked.

“Sometimes the situation calls for it”, Freed said.

He chuckled when looking at Laxus who said something to the girls and he looked ready to storm off.

“So… If you’re not in a job right now, are you perhaps free tonight?” Ketkel asked looking at Freed who’s eyes widened slightly.

“Eh?” he said blinking, looking at the raven haired man.

“I would like to ask you on a date, Freed Justine”, Ketkel smirked.

“Oh…” Freed mumbled. “I’m sorry, but I have to refuse. I already have someone who I’m dating”, he explained. “But I’m flattered that you asked me.”

“So who is this someone?” Ketkel asked surprised. “Sure there should have been some kind of a mention in a Sorcerer Magazine?”

“I’m not that famous and I don’t share my personal life in magazines”, Freed said shaking his head.

He hadn’t even thought about this. Of course at some point Sorcerer Weekly would get interested about Laxus’ personal life if they heard about rumours of him becoming a father. They would dig up who Laxus was having a child with. Right then, Freed was so glad he was wearing a big dark coat that mostly covered his belly that wasn’t too big yet. Anyone could simply think that he was wearing more clothes under his coat so he wouldn’t get cold. Or at least they would still shrug it off just thinking that Freed was just someone with extra weight.

But soon... Really soon that wouldn’t work anymore, he was sure of it. People would start staring at him, they would whisper, maybe even avoid him and think he was... Odd. How could he blame them? This was ridiculous even for him to understand!

Thinking all of that, it felt like everything in his head started to spin and he felt nauseous. He had started to get used for getting way too emotional over things and overthinking everything but it was still hard and he couldn’t stop that from happening.

He didn’t notice orange eyes that had snapped to stare at him the moment he had started to feel uncomfortable.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ketkel asked looking at Freed who seemed pale.

“Yes”, the rune mage assured. “I’m sorry, I really don’t feel comfortable continuing this conversation anymore."

“Alright”, Ketkel nodded. “I’m not one to force anyone. Do you need to sit down? You look a little bit sick”, he said and lifted his hand to touch Freed’s shoulder.

Freed looked at Ketkel, whose worried expression in his face turned into a horrified stare over Freed’s head. The rune mage was just about to turn, when he felt strong arms around him and dark coat wrapped around him, covering his sight.

The whole street was rumbling because of the thundering snarl, as Laxus stared at Ketkel who fell because of the sheer power of that warning voice that made the snow dusting around them. Sparks of lightning crackled in the air, making people quickly take their distance from them.

“Laxus?” Freed said surprised and a little bit frightened by that sudden appearing.

“I got you, love. You’re safe, don’t worry”, Laxus grumbled silently, still staring at the dark haired man who was shivering like a bundle of jelly, looking at the big Thunder God.

“I’m not worried”, Freed said moving the coat enough so he could see Laxus’ face.

“You were getting nervous, I could smell it. That dumbass did it?” Laxus snarled his orange eyes still locked towards the man, who couldn’t seem to get on to his feet or even make a peep come out of his mouth.

“It was nothing serious, Laxus”, Freed huffed. “Calm down. You’re letting your dragon side take control and that is not a good thing.”

“What’s the ruckus here?!” they heard a loud voice.

People moved aside when three kilibuks arrived with their riders. All three covered with leather and fur uniforms that told they were the town’s guards. All of them had visors to cover their jaw, mouth and noses and long spears in their hands, pointing at Laxus what made the lightning dragon slayer to just get more defensive.

“How are we ever going to explain this”, Freed sighed and Laxus just growled something, narrowing his sparking eyes dangerously and not letting him go. “Laxus, control yourself”, Freed said slightly worried, but it seemed like his words had very little effect. 

Kilibuks stopped in front of them and finally Ketkel was able to stand up, stumbling farther from Laxus.

“What’s the situation here?” the first one of the guards asked looking at blond haired man who now stared at them, still on guard and emitting sparks all around his body.

“We are really sorry about this”, Freed said and the guard’s eyes widened slightly when he realised there was another man under the bigger man’s coat, face just barely showing under his chin.

“O-okay...” the guard said blinking at them.

“Nothing bad has happened”, Freed assured. “Please stop pointing us with those spears, Laxus won’t harm anyone, I promise”, he said.

“Was he about to attack someone?” other guard asked, lifting his spear closer to Laxus.

That made the Thunder God get even more angry and small lightning hit the ground, scaring the kilibuks who let out a frightened baas and almost dropped their riders.

“No, he wasn’t, he is just a little bit protective right now”, Freed said quickly. “Please understand. Don’t do anything that might be considered as a threat.”

“To me, it seems like he is a danger to our town”, other guard said. “We can’t let him stay if he is about to cause something.”

“He won’t. He just needs a moment to calm down.”

“We kindly suggest that you follow us, if you don’t we have to chain you.”

“No, things can go really bad if you come closer”, Freed said and Laxus growled again wrinkling his nose, showing his canine teeth.

“You stop pointing with those sticks right now!” another voice commanded loudly, almost startling the kilibuks just as bad as Laxus’ lightning.

Freed looked at Roxanne, who stepped closer with her cane.

“There’s nothing to worry about, I’ll take these two back home with me”, the old lady said. “So you go back to your own jobs.”

“But Madam –“ the first guard started.

“I told you to go back doing your job, son! There’s nothing bad going on here”, Roxanne said. “They are my guests and staying with me. If you want to know more about them, come see us when your work hours are over”, she huffed and started to walk towards her house.

Freed touched Laxus’ cheek getting his attention from the guards.

“Let’s go”, Freed smiled softly, taking the lightning dragon slayer’s hand and was finally let free from under his coat.

The guards didn’t know what to do, looking at each other and when Laxus gave them one last growl, the kilibuks jumped slightly. That seemed to make Laxus satisfyed, making Freed chuckle.

“Thank you, Madam”, the rune mage said when they were walking on a different street. “I’m really sorry of what happened.”

“It’s alright, sugar. Your dragon just wanted to make sure you’re okay”, Roxanne cackled. “But how did you end up against them?”

“Umm... Laxus just misunderstood something”, Freed said looking at Laxus who just growled something. “He thought that there was someone who was about to do something bad.”

“You were getting nervous and anxious”, Laxus muttered.

“I was, yes, but not because of him”, Freed huffed. “It’s alright, the most important thing is that nothing bad happened after all. Did you know those guards, Madam?”

“It was my grandson with his work buddies”, Roxanne said.

“Really?” Freed asked surprised. They were all wearing those visors that covered most of their faces so he couldn’t see if one of them had same traits as Roxanne. And he happened to be occupied making sure Laxus wouldn’t cause anything so he had no time to notice those things. “I hope you’re not in trouble now because of us.”

“I’m not, don’t sweat it”, Roxanne cackled waving her hand. “Those kids know better than start a fight with Madam Roxanne!”

“I’m glad to hear that”, Freed chuckled.

They arrived back in the house and slowly Laxus was finally starting to get a hold of himself again.

“I’m not even sorry that I scared the living shit out of that fucker”, he grumbled when he heard what really happened between Freed and Ketkel.

“He didn’t know I was dating someone”, Freed smiled peeling the carrots for the dinner. “And he wasn’t pressuring me into anything.”

“Don’t care, he’s still a dumbass.”

“Should have guessed”, Freed said amused. 

“If you feel like you still have energy to be mad, go chop some wood”, Roxanne said to Laxus. “That should help and we need more wood to make dinner and keep the house warm whole night.”

The Thunder God muttered something and stomped outside.

“He’ll be fine, sugar”, Roxanne assured when Freed looked so worried. “He’ll forget this soon.”

“I hope so”, Freed said. “No, I know he will. He wouldn’t think that I would cheat on him, right?”

“Of course he wouldn’t, don’t you worry about that. Let’s just now prepare the dinner so we can make sure your friends can do their jobs during the night.”

 

It was starting to get dark outside when Ever and Bickslow woke up. Freed and Roxanne had prepared the dinner and snacks for the night, and Laxus had finally calmed down. After chopping enough wood for the rest of the year, Kvestor mentioned.

They ate and Bicks and Ever started to get ready to move to the book store, when the door was knocked in the kitchen.

“What he thinks this place is? Why can’t he just walk in like a normal grandson would do when coming home”, Roxanne muttered when she went to open the door.

Freed looked at the door curiously as he heard Roxanne talking with someone in the kitchen. Then finally she appeared back in the living room, this time with one of the guards they saw earlier. He was still wearing his uniform and helmet that covered bottom half of his face. But they could clearly see dark red eyes that studied them all.

“Everyone, this is my grandson Roscoe. Roscoe, this is Cutie, Sugar, Cookie and Dumb Honeycomb”, the old lady introduced them.

“It is nice to meet you”, Freed smiled before Laxus opened his mouth. “Our real names –“

“I know who you are”, Roscoe said. He had a deep, very strong voice, without being threatening still. “It is an honour to meet you all. But why are you here?”

“We came because Madam needed help, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

“What?” Roscoe asked looking at his tiny grandmother. “Is that true?”

“Yes, dear. Kvestor mentioned that I should ask mages from the mage guild to come over and help me with the burglars”, Roxanne nodded and she sat down.

“Burglars? There has been burglars and you haven’t even mentioned it to me?”

“Relax, dear. Nothing bad has happened yet. Cutie and Cookie will guard the store this night.”

“I could have done that, you know it.”

“You have your own job. It’s alright, dear. Now take off your helmet, there is food for you in the kitchen”, Roxanne commanded, pointing at the kitchen with her cane.

Roscoe sighed and took off his helmet. That made Freed and the others almost fall off from the couch.

“What?” Roscoe asked confused and slightly suspiciously narrowing his red eyes.

Bickslow grinned and stood up, walking beside the man who was maybe few inches smaller – making him still a very tall man – but obviously older than him.

“Ohh, look at that! Like looking at the mirror!” Bicks cackled to Freed and the others.

“Impostor! Intruder alert!” ‘babies’ chanted circling around Roscoe. “Arrest this faker!”

“What the hell?” he said angrily looking at the dolls. “Who are you calling an impostor?”

“They just got confused”, Bicks smiled.

“Humbug!” ‘babies’ scolded, thumping against Roscoe’s shoulders.

“I don’t understand this hassle”, Roscoe grumbled, shooing the Tiki dolls off.

Bicks grinned and took off his visor that covered the top half of his face. He had obviously way more wilder black and blue hair, while Roscoe had neatly cut short hair and a chin beard. Of course he also didn’t have a tattoo like Bickslow.

“Man, we could be brothers!” Bickslow cackled.

“What?” Roscoe asked.

“The resemblance is... Amazing”, Ever said surprised and they all nodded. It really was almost unbelievable! 

“Would you look at that”, Roxanne said blinking. “I didn’t even notice it before.”

“How is that possible?” Laxus muttered, looking at the two men who studied each other.

“This is awesome”, Bicks grinned. “Maybe we are related?” he grinned and swung his arm around Roscoe’s shoulders.

“Would you please just keep your distance?” Roscoe snarled trying to shake the taller man’s arm off, but it wasn’t that easy. It was never easy to shake Bicks off when he decided to hug you.

“Are you allergic to peanuts too?” Bicks asked.

“What?”

“Do you like apples? I like apples.”

“Bicks, let him go”, Freed chuckled. “You’re scaring the poor man.”

Finally Bickslow let go of Roscoe and there were silence in the living room. Both blue and black haired men were staring at each other, Bickslow with his wide grin, Roscoe with a frown.

“I’ll come see you again tomorrow”, the guard finally grumbled to Roxanne and grabbed his helmet from the table where he had put it on earlier.

“Roscoe”, Roxanne huffed, but Roscoe was already at the door, closing it after him.

“Why did he leave?” Bicks asked confused.

“We were just having fun”, ‘babies’ sighed. “Did we do bad?”

“No, I believe he just got confused”, Roxanne said leaning against the back of her chair.

“I wanna see him again”, Bicks decided.

“Who knows, maybe they actually could be brothers?” Freed suggested, finally saying out loud the thing they all had been thinking from the moment Roscoe took his helmet off. “Bicks doesn’t know his family.”

“Yeah! I don’t have any memories of my parents. It would be cool to find a brother!” Bickslow cackled.

“Let’s find him!” ‘babies’ chirped. “Let’s talk with the impostor!”

“Hold your horses”, Roxanne said before Bickslow stormed out of the house. “You got a job, remember?”

“Oh, right...” Bicks said, a lot less excited now.

“You do what you promised, cookie. Roscoe said he would come back tomorrow so he will come back.”

“So wait, wait”, Ever said. “If it really is true and Roscoe and Bicks are brothers, wouldn’t Madam Roxanne be his grandmother?” she asked.

“Let’s not get too excited yet”, Roxanne said. “Of course it would be a good thing, but we still don’t know the facts.”

“And what are the chances that we just happen to come here and find Bicks’ family members?” Laxus said.

“That does sound unbelievable”, Freed nodded.

“I guess I just got lucky”, Bicks grinned.

“We’re lucky! We’re good!” the Tiki dolls giggled.

“Alright! Let’s go do that job so we can meet Roscoe again tomorrow!” Bickslow cackled and Ever followed after him, as Kvestor went to show them the way and the shop.

“That was... Something I still find hard to believe it really happened”, Freed said slowly and Laxus nodded.

“Well, life is a mystery, ain’t it?” Roxanne giggled. “I have seen things even more impossible.”

“Hard to think any just like that”, Laxus grumbled.

“Really, now? That’s a lot of crap coming from a man who managed to knock up his boyfriend”, the old lady snickered and Freed blushed. “Alright, let’s go to bed, kids”, Roxanne smiled and they stood up. “There is food in the kitchen if you get hungry during the night.”

“We’ll remember that”, Freed nodded. “Good night, Madam.”

“Good night, kids”, Roxanne smiled as they headed towards the stairs.

 


	60. Chapter 60

It was still the middle off the night when Freed woke up.

“Seriously... Why are you making my life miserable...” he sighed as he had to get up and put on his shirt, so he could go to the bathroom. Lately, he had started to wake up almost exactly the same time every night because he had to use the toilet.

And it was frustrating mostly because Laxus didn’t seem to even wake up anymore, just turning to his other side and kept snoring. It really irritated Freed, even though he knew it was stupid. But wasn’t he allowed to do stupid things?

After using the toilet, he stepped in the dark hallway.

“And now I’m hungry”, he growled annoyed, walking towards the stairs. His son was really testing his nerves this time. But of course he forgave him everything.

After eating some leftovers from the dinner, Freed yawned and was ready to head back to bed. But when he walked past the door that connected the book store and the house, he got curious. Laxus was sleeping, he wouldn’t notice him being away longer anyway. And he was still angry because the Thunder God just kept sleeping while he was trying his best to adjust to all the whims their son made him do. This was all Laxus’ fault, obviously.

Freed opened the door quietly and looked around. Even he had to admit that the book store was slightly creepy in the middle of the night, all lights off and nothing but big shelves around, full of books.

He shivered slightly when he remembered Moranga and how he first time saw that demon in the Guild’s library. He still vividly remembered how terrified he felt then.

“Bicks? Ever?” he whispered looking around.

“Freed?” he heard Ever’s surprised whisper.

There were rustling and then steps and a really dim yellow light. Ever appeared behind one of the big cases, with a tiny little fairy sitting on her shoulder giving her some light.

“What are you doing here?” the brunette asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry”, Freed smiled. “Where’s Bickslow?”

“He’s guarding the second floor. Why are you here?”

“I just got curious how everything is going.”

“Everything’s fine so go back to bed, you idiot”, Ever scolded. “You are not allowed to be here, or are you planning to break the rules?”

“What? Of course not! I would never break the rules”, Freed said slightly offended. “I’m not joining you to the job, I only came to see how you’re doing.”

“You’re extending that rule big time right now. Laxus would kick our asses if we let you stay here.”

“Laxus is asleep so don’t worry.”

“What are you guys whispering there?” they heard Bicks’ voice and saw the seith mage at the stairs. “Are we having a slumber party here?” he snickered.

“No, Freed just got curious and doesn’t seem to understand right now how stupid he is. He’s going back to bed now”, Ever huffed, crossing her arms and looked at Freed. “Something might happen and it is not good if you’re here then, sweetie. If you meddle with this, that is breaking the rule no matter how you would try to talk your way out of it.”

“I know, Ever”, Freed sighed. “I’ll go back, I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

“Good”, Ever said.

Bickslow went back to the second floor and Ever in her own hiding place and Freed started to walk back to the door. That was when he suddenly heard a small rustling sound coming from the front door and he immediately hid behind a bookshelf.

“Ever”, he whispered almost silently, hoping that Ever noticed the noises.

He heard small steps and Ever appeared right beside him, looking at the door.

“He’s actually using the front door and not some windows from the alley? I don’t know if our burglar is stupid or brave”, she whispered and Freed nodded.

The lock let out a clack as it opened. The door opened and someone stepped inside. In the darkness they couldn’t even see if the intruder was male or female. Freed and Ever just stayed silent and waited what would happen, but it seemed like the intruder didn’t go straight to look for the books. Instead he headed towards the backdoor that lead to the house.

Before he could get to the door, Ever lifted her hands and dozens of little fairies suddenly appeared around the burglar, lightening the whole floor.

“Wait”, Freed quickly said as the intruder squinted his eyes so he could see something. “That’s Roscoe”, Freed said surprised when they recognized the man who wasn’t wearing his uniform right now.

“Roscoe?” Ever asked and they heard how Bickslow was coming down the stairs as he noticed what was happening.

All three of them approached Roscoe, whose eyes finally started to adjust for the light.

“Baby, what are you doing here?” Bicks asked confused.

“Don’t call me that”, Roscoe growled. “I was worried about Granny. I still can’t believe she didn’t tell me about the burglars, but instead she decided to ask some mages to come over.”

“Calm down”, Freed said. “We understand that you might feel offended, but this might be dangerous. We don’t know who it is who messes up here at night.”

“That is why I’m here, to find out who it is”, Roscoe frowned. “It is not that unusual that maybe some of the town’s rascals just decided to have some fun.”

“But Granny said they might be after a specific old book that is valuable”, Bickslow said.

“I’m the only one who is allowed to call her Granny, keep that in your mind, puppeteer”, Roscoe snarled.

“My, you’re a feisty one, baby”, Bicks grinned. “Looks like you got a short temper.”

“Bicks, this is not time for that”, Freed said. “With store lightened up like this, everyone knows we are here guarding this place and no-one will come here again.”

“We?” Ever asked lifting her eyebrows.

“You know what I meant”, Freed said rolling his eyes.

Suddenly the store’s own lights were snapped on and they looked at the backdoor.

“Laxus”, Freed gasped.

“What the fuck?” Laxus growled. “You guys should be guarding the store secretly, not announcing to the whole town that you’re here. You”, he said pointing at Freed. “The fuck you’re doing here?”

“I woke up and thought I should just check how Ever and Bicks are doing”, Freed explained.

“That was just stupid. You, why are you here?” Laxus asked pointing at Roscoe.

“I can take care of this store by myself”, he said.

“Too bad, it’s not your choice to make. You can stay with Bicks and Ever if you absolutely want but for god’s sake, shut up all of you and dim those lights. That’s an order”, Laxus snarled annoyed. “Try to do your job like you should. And what comes to you, you broke the rule”, he said to Freed who felt shivers.

“I didn’t mess with anything”, he assured. “I didn’t do anything, I only happened to be here.”

“Shut up, like hell you just happened to be here. Get your ass back here, Justine.”

“You really enjoy saying that, don’t you?” Freed huffed stepping beside his Thunder God.

“I might”, Laxus said with a little smirk this time. “Get back to your job, we go back to sleep”, he said to the others who nodded and the lights were shut down.

Freed followed Laxus back to the apartment in the other side of the building.

“You’re getting too good at sneaking out without waking me up”, Laxus muttered when they stepped into their room.

“You’re just sleeping more deeply”, Freed huffed taking off his shirt.

“I thought you were the one who had hard time to wake up even if there was a war going on.”

“I can’t help it”, Freed said sitting at the edge of the bed. “I have to wake up every single night to use the bathroom because of your son.”

“Oh, so now he’s just my son?” Laxus chuckled. “You should be grateful for him, I’m willing to pretend only this time that you didn’t break the rule since obviously you’re not yourself right now because you don’t even realize it. Normally you wouldn’t have even thought about going there just because you were curious. It must be that pregnancy brain as Ever called it. But”, he said poking Freed’s nose with his finger. “You do that again and I will tell about this to Porlyusica and you know how happy she would be to hear what you did.”

“I didn’t break the rule”, Freed defended himself. He didn’t break it! Right?

“Whatever. We should go back to sleep now”, Laxus said slumping to the bed and pulled Freed against him, wrapping his arms tightly around the rune mage so he had no way to escape again.

 

In the morning Laxus woke up just to notice he was again alone in the room.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled as he got up from the bed and took his shirt, heading to the hallway.

He calmed down when he heard Freed’s and Roxanne’s voices from the kitchen as he stepped down the stairs.

“Good morning, honeycomb”, Roxanne smiled when they noticed the blond.

“Morning, Madam”, Laxus said and kissed Freed. “Morning, babe”, he smiled.

“Good morning, Laxus”, Freed smiled happily. “We have some good news. Bicks, Ever and Roscoe actually caught the thief last night.”

“What? Someone actually broke in after all that ruckus?” Laxus asked confused. “How stupid that thief is?”

“It seems that Roscoe was actually right. It was just some youngster from the town. He and his friends had made a bet of how many times he would manage to break in before he would get caught.”

“But what about that mess? There was no need to cause something like that if he only needed to break in.”

“Apparently it was just to make sure it was noticed that he had been there”, Freed said. “And to kill his boredom, he said.”

“Brat”, Laxus huffed annoyed. “He must be really bored.”

“Roscoe was going to make sure he had something to do for the next two months”, Freed said. “What he did was still a crime, so he’s going to make it up by helping out the town with different jobs.”

“Sounds good.”

“It is always bad to have too much free time and nothing to do”, Roxanne sighed giving a big plate of scrambled eggs and bacon for Laxus. “That is when youngsters start to come up with their own doings and sometimes it is not something good.”

“Good beating should make sure they don’t do something bad again”, Laxus muttered stepping at the dining room.

“Laxus, you know that is not a solution”, Freed huffed taking his own plate and he sat down as well. “Punishing kids that way when they do something bad is not a good way of parenting. I really hope you will remember that.”

“Fine, but if our kid does something as stupid as breaking in somewhere and messing with stuff, I will make sure he won’t do that again”, Laxus grumbled piercing a piece of bacon with his fork.

“I still don’t like it. We should try talking with him and get to the bottom of the problem that is making him do something like that.”

“If he does something like that, it’s because he doesn’t respect anyone”, Laxus said. “And damn sure my kid won’t grow up to be a douchebag who doesn’t respect his friends and family.”

“But with beating?”

“Who said anything about beating him? I just make sure he knows how to respect others and not be an asshole like I was. I don’t mean that he needs to crawl in front of others or anything, just some common sense to take care of everyone.”

Freed smiled. He was definitely against spanking and similar but he knew there had to be rules. He was happy to notice that Laxus was thinking the same.

“You kids are gonna learn very quickly that there is no just one way to raise children”, Roxanne cackled when she joined with them to the dining table. “Like us adults, kids are too their own persons and what works with one, doesn’t maybe work with the other. If you’re gonna have more sugar cubes, you will notice that they might be really similar or even completely different of each other.”

Freed and Laxus shared a look.

“I… I don’t think that having another child is possible”, Freed finally said. “This is caused by the mating season… Well, of course the mating season will happen again in ten years, I guess then it might be possible.”

Roxanne shrugged.

“Who knows what might happen”, she smiled. “If you two are meant to have another child, that’s gonna happen for sure. If you don’t want that, you better keep your dragon slayer covered up”, she smirked, making both men blush. “Or could it maybe happen other way too?”

“I really don’t want to even think about that”, Laxus grumbled, making Freed chuckle.

“Maybe we should talk with Porlyusica about this when we get back home”, the rune mage suggested. “I don’t think she might have all the answers, but it’s still better than just ponder these questions alone.”

“Whatever happens, will there be more kids or not, your most important task as a parent is to always love them and support them and make sure they do the right decisions”, Roxanne said. “I know parents do mistakes, I have done many myself. But don’t worry, kids can forgive them to you. You’d be surprised to know how much kids would do to their parents.”

They ate, thinking about these things while silence landed in the dining room.

“Madam, do you mind talking about this mission a moment?” Freed asked.

“Sure, sugar. Is there something wrong?”

“I wouldn’t say wrong, but I just thought about something. Why didn’t you tell Roscoe about the burglar?” Freed asked. “Clearly he is willing to help you out if possible. So it was your decision to not mention anything but ask help from the outsiders.”

“I don’t want to bug him with every little thing that happens around here, he has his own job and own home.”

“That makes me wonder, if you didn’t think this was a big case then why did you take contact with Fairy Tail? Why mages? You told us about the book and how you thought that the burglar was looking for it, but for me it seems like you knew from the start who the burglar actually was”, Freed said and Roxanne glanced towards him sharply. “You just used that as an excuse to get mages come here. There is something else going on here, Madam.”

For a moment none of them said anything. Finally Roxanne looked at Laxus.

“Your man is sharp, honeycomb. Be really grateful that you have someone who can do all the thinking for you”, she said amused, making Laxus growl. “Alright, seems like you caught me, sugar”, Roxanne smiled looking at Freed.

“Does that book even exist?” Freed asked.

“It does, with that I didn’t lie to you. And I didn’t know who the burglar is, I just knew that he wasn’t anyone dangerous. Roscoe could have easily caught him as well.”

“If the book is real, you still want us to do something about it. But let’s set that aside now, I think there is something else more important. You asked Kvestor to take contact with Fairy Tail and give the job request there. And probably he asked from Mirajane to specifically give that job to Bickslow.”

“My, did you just figure all of that out while sitting here?” Roxanne chuckled.

“No, I actually had a hunch about the real reasons of this mission in the moment when I saw Roscoe”, Freed said buttering his bread.

“So you wanted to have Bickslow come here?” Laxus noticed.

“You must have seen a picture of him or at least heard about him and wanted to be sure about one thing: Is he probably related to you and Roscoe?” Freed said.

Roxanne huffed looking out of the window, thinking what to say.

“I just saw him at some magazine, I don’t even remember which one. They really do look alike, don’t you think?”

“Definitely”, Laxus nodded.

“For first I didn’t think about it that much, but I did ask something from Porlyusica. She couldn’t tell much but something, how that boy doesn’t know his family and stuff. Then… Along with apparently you two and cutie, Bickslow went missing for seven years. That was when I really started to think about it, I should have said something to that boy. I should have tried to find out if they might be brothers with Roscoe. Bickslow must have born shortly after she brought that book, while my daughter was travelling and for some reason she couldn’t come home. If it were before, she would have at least said something, unless of course if there was a reason why she couldn’t.”

“Do you think someone might have held her as a hostage or something similar?” Freed asked. That sounded horrible.

“All I know for sure is that Roscoe was born, then she left. She appeared again after two years, gave me the book and told to keep it somewhere safe where no-one could find it. I remember that she did seem worn out, but she didn’t want to talk about it. In the next morning… She had vanished. Next time I heard about her was five years later that she was dead.”

“We’re really sorry about that”, Laxus muttered. “You know, you should talk with Bickslow and Roscoe about this.”

“I know”, Roxanne sighed. “It’s going to be one tough conversation, Roscoe can be short tempered sometimes so he might not be willing to listen. That’s why it took this long before I actually did anything.”

“If you talk with Bickslow, I’m sure he wants to get to know Roscoe too”, Freed smiled.

“I’m already feeling sorry for him”, Laxus smirked.

“Yes, Bicks can be really stubborn if he wants and he will not leave Roscoe alone before they have talked about this more”, Freed chuckled. “And I believe that is a good thing in this situation. Everything will be fine, Madam. Don’t you worry”, he assured to the old woman. “And you can get to know Bickslow too, I’m sure of it.”

“That is nice to hear, sugar”, Roxanne said.

“So what about that book then?” Laxus asked. “You don’t have some crazy security measures here at your house obviously, so how do you keep that book safe?”

“Because it’s not really here”, Roxanne cackled. “Why would I keep it here? I can take you four to see it. I thought about what you said, taking it to Fairy Tail. It is not that bad idea, actually. I’m not gonna live forever and Roscoe knows nothing about that book, it would be left defenceless after I die and someone might steal it.”

“We will do whatever we can to help you out”, Laxus promised. “If you’re Bickslow’s family, you’re our family too.”

“Now I’m finally starting to like you”, Roxanne cackled and Freed laughed.

“Should I be worried if you’re going to snatch him away from me?” the rune mage asked and Laxus huffed amused.

“Not gonna happen, Madam”, the lightning mage smirked to the old lady.

“There is no way you could have managed to handle me anyway, honeycomb”, Roxanne said boldly, making them laugh. “So what are you two planning to do today?”

“I want to go finally see that library”, Freed smiled.

“I guess I’m gonna go with him then”, Laxus said. “You can have your time here in peace to talk with Bicks, since Ever will probably go out shopping anyway when she wakes up.”

“That’s good.”

They ate and helped to clean the table. Then they changed their clothes and headed towards the large library at the centre of the town.


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babies! Here you go, an extra long chapter because I’m such a nice author and I wanted to give you a Christmas present! ˆˆ This has absolutely nothing to do with something like “I might not have enough time to update another chapter before next Saturday so I want to give them enough reading worth of two chapters!”  
> Except it does. I’m really sorry, but Christmas is always a busy time :/ Anyway, happy holidays everyone! Thank you so much of all those lovely comments, kudos and reading this story! ˆˆ

Hours went by really, really slowly. Or at least for Laxus it felt like that, as he was already bored to death. He had tried to read something but he just wasn’t that interested of reading. Not like Freed at least.

He was sitting at the small alcove with Freed, who had at least twenty books still with him. His turquoise eyes moved fast, following the words in the book and he flipped the pages quickly. Seriously, how did he do that so fast? How was it possible to read something that fast?

Laxus huffed and turned his gaze to look out from the window next to them. They were really high, as half of the library was built inside a mountain, in both natural and man made caves. Right now they were at the maybe sixth floor, at the side of the library that was like a castle by how big and fancy it was. This whole place was like from some fantasy book. Freed was of course excited and guess Laxus understood that. He had to admit that this place did look awesome when you saw it for the first time.

But after hours of sitting inside it doing nothing… It just wasn’t that awesome anymore.

“Aren’t you bored already?” he finally grunted.

“Hmm...” Freed hummed flipping the page.

“Hey, Freed.”

“Hm?”

“You’re not even listening”, Laxus growled and he snatched the book away from Freed’s hands, making the rune mage jolt.

“Laxus, I was reading it”, he scolded.

“You think I didn’t see that?” Laxus smirked.

“Just give it back, it was getting really interesting”, Freed said trying to reach to take the book from Laxus, who just held it above his head. “You’re messing with the pages, I didn’t have time to mark where I was.”

“Aren’t you getting hungry?” Laxus said pulling Freed closer. “We’ve been sitting here already five hours. It’s past noon. You should have lunch.”

“I’m fine, just give me that book back”, Freed said trying to reach to the book. “I want to finish it.”

“Not before you eat something. You might not be hungry but Felix must be starving”, Laxus reminded, making Freed blush.

“Fine”, he finally muttered. “We can buy something from the cafe.”

“There’s a cafe here?”

“Yes, at the third floor.”

“Okay, let’s go there. But no books.”

“Don’t worry, you can’t take books to the cafe”, Freed huffed but smiled and he stood up, stretching. “Is it one o’clock already?”

“I told you it was past noon”, Laxus said leaving the book at the table and they walked towards the stairs.

At the cafe they ordered some sandwiches, coffee and tea.

“Do you believe Bickslow have had a chance to talk with Roscoe yet?” Freed asked opening the paper around his sandwich.

“I think so, yeah”, Laxus nodded, already eating his own sandwich. “Bicks won’t give up just like that. And if not with Roscoe, at least he have talked with Roxanne”, he shrugged.

“You’re right”, Freed smiled. “I really hope everything will go well. I’m so happy for Bickslow if they really are related.”

“I somehow find it more suspicious if they’re not, that’s how much they look alike”, Laxus smirked. “But that doesn’t still mean that everything will go well”, he frowned.

“Why?” Freed asked confused looking at his Thunder God.

“Roscoe didn’t seem that happy about this.”

“Just like Roxanne said, he’s probably just confused. Some people respond to that by getting angry, like you.”

“Hey.”

“You know it’s true, Laxus”, Freed chuckled. “Things really do change... For about a year ago, I would have never even considered of saying something like that to you.”

“I would have probably hit you”, Laxus grumbled. “A year ago, I had never even thought about having kids or even settling down at some point of my life.”

“Me neither. Well, the only perfectly solid thing in my life was that I would always follow you and support you, no matter what would happen.”

“I don’t understand that even today why you decided to follow me. And how did you convince Bickslow and Evergreen to follow as well”, Laxus huffed leaning against his hand, looking at the rune mage.

“You weren’t always the kind of a man who you were at that one point”, Freed smiled. “You just don’t seem to want to remember it that way. It’s like you’re trying to convince everyone that you were an asshole since the day you were born. We all know that is not true, Laxus. Master Makarov have told me many times how kind you were as a child, full of joy and always happy to help. And when we met, I think you were still kind but maybe a little distant.”

“That doesn’t count, I was just a kid. Then I grew up and the real me pushed through.”

“Laxus, you know I won’t buy that”, Freed said. “It was just a stage and there were so many things that didn’t make your life any easier. Everybody has somekind of a stage at some point, usually it hits when you’re a teenager but at what age, that depends. Or at least it’s most noticeable then. Yes, it’s never going to be erased from history of Fairy Tail what you did but you can’t let that shadow every step of your life.”

“Can people really change that easily?” Laxus muttered ruffling his blond hair.

“I guess some people do”, Freed said shrugging. “But think of it this way: If people do change, wouldn’t that then be a good thing that you get over that stage? If they don’t... Wouldn’t that mean that the real you is kind, full of joy and always happy to help?” he smiled.

They went silent, only hearing how people around them were talking to each other, walking around, the usual hassle like in every cafe.

“You’re amazing, Freed”, Laxus smirked, making Freed look at him over his teacup. “We’ve been talking about this case so many times. Seriously, I can’t even remember anymore how often. And every single time you manage to drag me out of my pathetic thoughts and... I don’t know, convince me that even I can still do something good for Fairy Tail?”

“You will. And you do. Every day and always”, Freed smiled.

“Damn, I really do love you, babe. I need a kiss.”

“Wait, what? Here? At the middle of the busy cafe? You don’t like doing that.”

“But I like the idea that I can change to be a better person little by little”, Laxus smirked and leaned over to kiss Freed. The hell with it if someone didn’t like watching them.

Freed smiled, slightly blushing when they separated.

“That was nice”, he nodded. “And look, the world didn’t blow up.”

“Shut up”, Laxus laughed. “You look tired, we should probably just return back to the house.”

“No, I still have many books I want to read”, Freed objected when they stood up.

“Do you want me to carry you out here? I will do that, babe.”

“I know”, Freed sighed. “I guess I can borrow those books and read them at Roxanne’s place.”

“Good idea”, Laxus grinned and they returned back to the sixth floor to fetch Freed’s books.

 

At the house Bickslow and Roxanne were still talking at the living room.

“They have been talking for hours already”, Kvestor told them happily. “Bickslow has mostly told what all you have been doing in Fairy Tail, it has been really exciting to hear about all those adventures.”

“They are getting along?” Laxus asked.

“Yes, really well.”

“Has Roscoe yet visited?” Freed asked.

“No, sadly. Madam told that he had a few hours time to sleep at the morning and then he had to return back to work. But I’m sure he will join us for the dinner”, the fluffy exceed smiled.

“Let’s hope so. Have you seen Ever?”

“Miss Evergreen should arrive at any minute right now. It is good that you two decided to come back earlier too, Madam wants to take you all see the book.”

“Things are really getting interesting now”, Freed chuckled. “Is it far?”

“I will take care of the rides you need so you can get there, feeding and so on”, Kvestor promised and with a little tingle from his bell on his neck he left the house.

“Riding the sleds with kilibuks again, huh?” Laxus muttered. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to it. As long as you’re there I wont maybe get sick anymore but I still don’t like some ways of travelling...”

After Ever returned, they all stepped outside the house. Roxanne leaded them towards the woods, at the edge of the town.

“Why did we come all the way here?” Ever asked looking around. “I don’t see any kilibuks.”

“I don’t recall saying that we would be using kilibuks”, Roxanne cackled. “This is something much more exciting.”

“Sounds really promising”, Bickslow grinned.

Finally they were at the woods, where there were a big shed and Roxanne opened the door.

“Everyone takes one saddle except you, sugar”, Roxanne commanded.

“Why so?” Freed asked confused, looking at the wall where there were many odd looking saddles neatly side by side.

“You’re coming with me in the basket.”

“Basket?”

“You’ll see soon. It’s the safest option for you, these little rascals we’re gonna use can get slightly wild sometimes”, Roxanne giggled.

When the saddles were ready, they pulled out the basket as well. It was sturdy, just big enough for Freed and Roxanne.

“Alright, kids”, the old lady said looking at Laxus, Bickslow and Ever. “You all have your saddles. Make sure you will tie the harness good and tight but not too tight. You don’t wanna fall but either strangle those poor little creatures.”

“So what are we using?” Laxus asked.

“That you will find out soon, Kvestor took care of the feeding so there should be a pack nearby”, Roxanne smirked and she took out a whistle. They didn’t hear anything, but obviously somekind of a noise was let out. “They’ll respond to this whistle that sends particular magic waves”, Roxanne explained and she just leaned to her cane, waiting. “They can’t resist it.”

They waited a little while more, until finally they heard some noise. It was a familiar noise, but still something really different.

“Is that...?” Freed said.

“Buzzing”, Bickslow noticed. “It’s like there’s some hell of a big bees.”

The noise came closer now quickly and it was very loud. They all jumped when suddenly maybe five or six humongous, fluffy, round bumblebees appeared from the woods, coming towards them. Roxanne giggled and waved her hand, making the biggest one of the bumblebees land beside her.

“Aren’t you such a beauty”, she smiled petting the fluffy black, yellow and white striped bug.

“Wow”, Bickslow said his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

“How...?” Freed mumbled but wasn’t sure what should be the first question.

“We’re going to use these?” Laxus asked finally when rest of the bees also landed, walking around lazily.

“Yes. Don’t worry, they won’t harm you as long as you don’t harm them”, Roxanne cackled. “This biggest one here is the queen of this pack. These polarbees don’t have big packs like their much smaller cousins, there’s only five to ten in each and every one of them is ruled by a queen.”

“Makes sense”, Freed nodded and he was quite interested, touching the polarbee who was waiting patiently. “So you can order them around?”

“Only this queen. Those others follow it where ever she goes. Not always perfectly straight line, you might get some bumpy ride, but they will follow.”

“Just great”, Laxus growled.

“This queen can only carry two people so it will be me and sugar, so you just do your best to stay with us.”

“They are... Actually kinda cute”, Ever said surprised, touching carefully the nearest polarbee’s head. “They don’t have a sting?”

“Nope. Don’t need it. They have claws on their strong legs and don’t let their cute outfit fool you. These things are carnivores”, Roxanne chuckled and Ever quickly pulled her hand pack. “But they don’t eat humans. They mostly eat something that is half of the human’s size.”

“Like toddlers?” Freed asked alarmed.

“These are smarter than that. They know not to eat humans at all because they have learned that killing one human usually leads to them killing the whole pack. But we can cooperate. We give them food, they give us rides sometimes. They can live in these forests without the fear that humans might do something to them. Now let’s get started”, Roxanne said. “Buckle those saddles carefully after you’ve chosen your polarbee. Sugar, be a good boy and take care of those straps will you?”

“Of course”, Freed smiled and he took bigger straps, making it go over the queen, cross over it’s back and tied it up under it.

Four other straps were hanging from the harness and every one of them had a hook at their end. Those hooks Freed attached to the basket. This way it would hang under the polarbee as it flew.

“Madam”, Freed smiled offering his hand for Roxanne.

“Such a gentleman”, she giggled climbing in the basket with his help and Freed did the same.

He watched how others were doing and was surprised to notice that only Evergreen had problems to tie up the saddle. She didn’t seem very keen to even approach her bee, but finally it was solved when Bickslow and Laxus did the job for her.

“Alright, is everybody ready?” Roxanne asked.

“Alright!” Bickslow howled excitedly, sitting on his saddle and Laxus and Ever did the same.

“Then we go, kids”, Roxanne grinned and she blew the whistle again.

The air was again filled with loud buzzing. Freed was amazed by how polarbees flew up in the air like they were carrying nothing. But only their ride was stable, as the other bees buzzed around, explored the surroundings and there were absolutely no other choice but to take a tight grasp of the saddle and hope for the best.

“For a moment I was almost jealous when they got to ride on saddles, but I think I’m good now”, Freed chuckled and Roxanne laughed.

“I’m glad you knew not to argue with me”, she said.

 

They didn’t travel that far in the end, but it took time since the queen polarbee wasn’t really fast. But it gave them enough time to enjoy the views, or at least Freed enjoyed it. And he enjoyed watching how his friends tried desperately make their polarbee’s fly more straight.

Finally they arrived at the little area that was flat, even though they were quite high on the mountain. Freed quickly took off the hooks from their basket when it hit the ground and the queen bee landed just beside them.

“Take off those straps, sugar. They can fly back to the woods”, Roxanne said and Freed nodded.

Soon after that Laxus, Evergreen and finally Bickslow arrived also and they all took off saddles.

“How do we get back?” Laxus asked when they put the gears aside.

“When we want to go back, I’ll just use this whistle an another pack that is close will appear”, Roxanne explained. “Now come along, kids. It’s starting to get chilly here”, she said pulling her big furry coat better around her.

They had no idea where they were walking, but Madam Roxanne seemed to know exactly where to go even though it looked like there were absolutely nothing anywhere.

“Here we go, now I will use this”, she smiled taking out another whistle, this time it was flat and round.

“I wonder what will appear this time?” Bicks snickered.

“Let’s hope it’s something that can help us out of this cold wind”, Ever muttered. “Aren’t you freezing with that metal on your face?”

“This is too exciting, there’s no time to feel cold, baby”, Bickslow cackled.

“Shut up, I can’t hear them”, Roxanne scolded and she leaned down, listening something from underground.

They all bend down without even realizing it and listened. At first, there was only the howling wind. But then they heard rustles. It was like something was moving underground, digging it’s way towards them.

Here and there, snow started to move and finally they could see big antennas, long legs, big strong jaws and a beautifully coloured thick shell and there were thick fur around it. Freed froze to his spot.

“It’s winter!” he almost cried out loud. “There can’t be beetles when it’s winter! That’s just not fair!”

“Relax, babe”, Laxus chuckled pulling his arm around Freed’s shoulders. “I don’t think they want to eat you.”

“I’m not going to ride those things”, Freed said. “There is absolutely no way I will come near those things. I will rather freeze to death here while waiting you to fetch that book!”

“You big sissy”, Laxus smirked and Freed was just about to snap something back, when one of the beetles crawled next to them towards Roxanne and he just lost his voice. He was seriously thinking about jumping onto Laxus’ arms. Of course his pride wouldn’t let him do that, but for a second he actually thought about it.

“Not everyone can always like everything”, Roxanne chuckled, gently patting the nearest beetle’s colourful shell.

“They are harmless, baby”, Bickslow assured to Freed, touching one of the beetles as well and even Ever admired the beautiful colour of them.

“I don’t care”, Freed frowned. “I hate them.”

“You can’t wait here”, Laxus huffed. “If we need to ride those, you’ll just have to deal with it. I’ll use a rope if I have to.”

“Do that and my child will only have one parent, take a wild guess which one of us.”

“It’s alright, they’re just going to open us the path”, Roxanne assured, blowing the whistle again.

Beetles moved in front of her and started digging. They moved all the snow, then they started to lift up boulders with their strong jaws just like that. It made Freed shiver.

“I hope they’re not going to follow us...” he muttered.

After a while there was a clear passage to the tunnel in front of them.

“Good job, lovelies”, Roxanne smiled. “Now you can go back home”, she promised, blowing the whistle and the beetles just scattered around, burrowing themselves at the snow. “Come along then, kids”, Roxanne commanded stepping at the tunnel.

“These people like tunnels, don’t they?” Bickslow grinned as they followed.

“Does anyone have some kind of a light?”

“Yes! We have!” Bickslow grinned brightly and shoved Freed against Laxus. “Do the thing, baby!” he cackled.

“Do what?” Laxus asked confused.

“Make him shine like the ass of a firefly!”

“We don’t know if that’s going to work”, Freed huffed crossing his arms.

“Come on! It was something that how Laxus’ magic reacted with your mark or similar.”

“Worth a shot”, Ever giggled. “This could be interesting.”

Freed and Laxus looked at each other.

“I’m not gonna zap him”, Laxus grumbled.

“Maybe you don’t need to? Touch his mark or something, maybe that is enough? This is an experiment, you love those don’t you, baby?” Bickslow snickered to Freed.

“The last time I was considered as a research material, it ended up like this”, the rune mage muttered pointing at his belly. “But I guess this won’t harm anyone”, he sighed.

He loosened his scarf and collar from his coat and winced when Laxus slipped his hand to touch his neck.

“Sorry”, Laxus muttered. He knew his hand was cold because of the weather.

Nothing happened.

“I guess it doesn’t work”, Bickslow said really disappointed.

“Maybe Ever just should use her fairies”, Freed said.

“Or maybe Laxus should use his magic? Like how did you put that magic inside those barriers before?” Ever suggested. “I could see that it was something really delicate lightning magic, I don’t believe I have ever seen you do something like that”, she chuckled, making Laxus growl something. “It was really impressive actually, knowing how destructive your lightning usually is.”

“If I zap him accidentally because of your advice, I’m gonna blast you both back to Magnolia with my lightning”, Laxus grumbled.

Freed started to feel warmth on his neck, obviously something was happening at least. Then he felt how that warmth spread to his whole body slowly and he lifted his hand. There were tiny little lightning marks on his skin, making patterns and lightening everything around him.

“Cool”, Bickslow grinned. “That works.”

“Now that is something you don’t see too often”, Roxanne chuckled and they started their journey.

The tunnel was short and they appeared into some kind of a round chamber that had no decorations in it. But at the middle of it there were a stone pedestal and on top of it waited the book they were looking for.

“I’m curious, why didn’t we just fly here?” Ever asked when Roxanne lit up some torches there were at the chamber already and Laxus could let go of Freed.

“You can fly?” the old lady asked surprised.

“Yeah, we all can”, Bickslow said. “Ever and Freed have wings, I can use my babies and Laxus uses lightning.”

“Well, this was still more convenient for us. Flying at these mountains when you don’t know them, it’s a high risk”, Roxanne said and they stepped beside the pedestal.

The book didn’t look that special with it’s leather covers but some runes that had been printed in the leather. It was old of course, but it didn’t look valuable in any way.

“It looks like it was someone’s book they used to write down notes”, Laxus said.

“You’d be surprised of how many of the most dangerous books are just like this one”, Roxanne said.

“Can we touch it?” Freed asked.

“Yes, it does nothing if you just look at it. You can even read it, but you can’t understand it. It needs something so all that gibberish has any meaning.”

Freed touched the leather covers carefully, swiping off some dust. Then he opened the covers, letting those old yellow parchment pages to flip.

“You’re right, this really is just some gibberish”, he mumbled.

“Told you so, sugar.”

“And in the cover there are warnings. Seems like there are at least four different spells embedded to make sure this book stays safe and rest of the runes might tell us how to break the code. Do you recognize the handwriting at all?”

“No, never seen it in my life”, Roxanne huffed leaning against her cane. “But it’s old, so it’s probably written over two hundred, maybe three hundred years ago?”

“Yes. I would say three hundred years, but not older than that”, Freed nodded. “I’m sure Levy could help me study this book more.”

“Just be careful. I maybe have no idea what it held inside in the end, but if my daughter brought it and told me to keep it safe, it must be something she doesn’t want to end up in wrong hands.”

“Fairy Tail will take care of it, Madam”, Evergreen assured. “We will make sure it stays safe.”

“Is it sure that no-one else knows this is here?” Laxus asked.

“No-one should know”, Roxanne said. “But I haven’t visited here that often. Maybe two or three times in the last decade? So if someone has been here, I wouldn’t know. But this place is hard to find without any clues and I’m the only one who remembers this chamber anymore.”

“What is this chamber’s purpose?” Bickslow asked looking around. “It doesn’t seem that special.”

“Actually, it’s just one of Naava Town’s old treasure chambers. There are many like this one scattered all around the mountains but most of them are forgotten by now. Of course, those treasure hunters always swarm here looking for them but they can’t find them”, Roxanne chuckled. “With only those beetles the path can be opened and only some people in Naava Town still has these whistles.”

“So there are places like these full of treasures?”

“I guess, I have never been interested enough to find them”, Roxanne shrugged.

Freed flipped the pages, trying to make sense of the writings.

“I could study it more at Fairy Tail”, he said. “With Levy.”

“Porlyusica might get interested too”, Roxanne said. “I’ve never shown it to her, but who knows.”

“Thank you, Madam”, Freed smiled. “We will make sure the book is safe.”

“Guess we then better go back to Magnolia tomorrow”, Laxus said. “If the train works again.”

“It does, I saw it earlier when I was shopping at town”, Ever nodded.

“Man, this visit was way too short”, Bickslow whined. “Can’t we stay just a few more days?”

“No, this book must be taken to Fairy Tail. If someone is after it, it puts the whole town in danger since it’s now with us”, Freed said. “And you have your S-class trials coming up soon.”

“Guess you’re right”, Bickslow sighed.

“Now now, cookie”, Roxanne chuckled patting his arm. “If Roscoe can get some time off his work, maybe we could come see how your trials go.”

“That’d be awesome”, Bicks grinned. “But we don’t know yet what kind the trials are or even where they are held. Not before the announcement ceremony at the Guild House.”

“Before that, we can’t even be absolutely sure of any of the participants either”, Freed nodded. “It all depends in many things.”

“I see”, Roxanne said. “Maybe we should come to the ceremony then?”

“It’s only for members of the Fairy Tail”, Laxus said. “Sorry. But after that we can tell what we know.”

“Eh, good enough for me”, Roxanne cackled. “It would be nice to see Porlyusica again. It has been so long since we even spoke to each other last time.”

“What did you speak about?”

“We had an argument.”

“Figures...” Ever whispered and they nodded.

They were just starting to leave the chamber, when suddenly Laxus stopped them, holding his hand out.

“What is it?” Freed asked, holding the book.

“There’s something”, Laxus growled narrowing his eyes.

They all tensed up and stared at the tunnel. They couldn’t see the opening because of the turns, but when they waited a while, they could hear steps. Not heavy, but somehow dragging steps with little scratches like claws hitting the rock floor.

Laxus stepped in front of Freed, while Bickslow and Evergreen got ready to cover Roxanne. Steps were coming closer without any rush. Freed felt shivers when the air inside the chamber got colder and it looked like there were mist coming from the tunnel.

Finally they could see something stepping close enough so they could see it at the light of torches. It was a slim human-like creature with long arms. It stopped before they could clearly see it, but at the dim light it looked nothing but bones wrapped in dry skin. Head was small, there was no mouth and it’s eyes were nothing but holes.

It stood there without any sign of nervousness, fear or even excitement. There was absolutely nothing.

“What is it?” Ever whispered with slightly high-pitched voice.

“I have never seen anything like that here”, Roxanne muttered frowning. “It doesn’t seemlike a normal creature.”

Freed looked at the creature who was staring at them, covering the whole passage and leaning against it’s long arms.

“It’s like it has scales”, Bickslow noticed. “Do you guys feel cold?”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded.

Creature tilted it’s head and they heard a distant whispering sound.

“Jish-Ahrna”, Freed hissed eyes widened.

“What?!” Laxus growled.

“It’s him. And you can see it too? So this is not a dream. It’s really here. Look out for it’s fog, it creates hoarfrost”, Freed warned.

“So it’s a demon”, Laxus said. “And belongs to that old fucker. I’m gonna send him back with some greetings that he better stay away from us.”

“Don’t do anything stupid”, Freed said. “If Jish-Ahrna is here, Moranga might be here too. And...”

“Lucados”, Laxus growled.

The whispering sound got louder and it felt like the slim demon in front of them was chuckling. Before anyone of them could even move a finger, thick fog surged right into the chamber, covering everything.

 

Freed gasped when he woke up. He rubbed his head as it hurt slightly and he sat up, looking around. Bickslow and Ever were both unconscious which was alarming.

“It’s alright, sugar”, he heard Roxanne’s voice when he stood up. “They’re just sleeping.”

“What?” Freed said and he was confused. He didn’t remember a thing that happened after the fog came. Did it knock them out? Or did something happen but he just couldn’t remember it? Right away he remembered what Makarov told them earlier about Lucados’ powers.

The rune mage looked around once more.

“Where’s Laxus?” he asked panic filling his guts. Oh god! Did Laxus go after his grandfather? Or did Lucados do something to him?

“He’s at the entry of the cave”, Roxanne said and she was sitting beside the pedestal with the book. “Guarding it until you guys wake up.”

Freed stumbled towards the tunnel and he just had to see Laxus with his own eyes. He knew that there was no telling what the lightning dragon slayer might do if there were danger. He only hoped that Laxus wouldn’t do anything stupid or let himself get taken over by his dragon instincts.

He arrived at the entry and noticed it was already midnight outside. How long did they sleep?

“Laxus?” he said stepping outside and looking around. The wind had started to rise and it was snowing.

“Don’t come out, love”, he heard a growl. It sounded more like crackling because of sparks. Laxus landed heavily just in front of Freed, almost startling the smaller man because of his sudden appearance.

The dark storm clouds were thundering around the mountain. Freed’s eyes widened when he looked at Laxus, whose skin was mostly covered with light scales. His hair was more like a mane, flowing around down his spine, ending as a long tail that was created by lightning. He had lightning wings, crackling and waving since the lightning was constantly moving and living.

“Laxus...” Freed whispered.

“I didn’t catch the threat, but I chased it away”, Laxus assured. “It’s no longer here.”

“Ah… O-okay”, Freed said. “That is a good thing. Now we can relax.”

“It might come back”, Laxus growled. “I won’t let it come again.”

“Laxus, it’s alright”, Freed said with calm voice, touching the lightning dragon slayer’s cheek tenderly. “Everything is alright. There’s no danger anymore. We are all alright.”

Laxus grumbled something and leaned forward, sniffing Freed to make sure he was alright.

“Laxus, I need you to focus”, Freed said grabbing Laxus’ head with his hands and he looked at those burning orange lizard eyes. “Everything is alright, so calm down. Do not let your dragon side take over. You’re dangerously far right now.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you”, Laxus promised.

“I know you wouldn’t and that’s why I love you. But you have to snap out of this. You don’t want to turn into a dragon, right? If you go too far, you can’t come back.”

Laxus growled, his head lowering and Freed let him rest it against his neck. He wrapped his arms around the big body, slightly scared at the lightning first but he noticed it was harmless. At least for him it was.

It took some time, but finally Freed felt how Laxus started to relax. Storm clouds started to fade slowly and the wind stopped, but it was still snowing. Freed looked how the bright yellow mane disappeared along with the wings and tail, as well as the scales from Laxus’ skin. He was so relieved.

Finally Laxus straightened himself and Freed smiled looking at him, but got surprised when he saw anger featuring Laxus’ face.

“We’re going home”, the blond said.

“W-what?” Freed asked.

“With the next train. That fog demon might be away right now but who knows what might happen next.”

“Did you speak with him? Did he say something?” Freed asked quickly. “Did you see my grandfather?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Laxus, I want to know”, Freed said determined. “If he’s here I have questions I want to ask. I need some answers from him.”

“We need nothing from him”, Laxus snarled, making Freed shut his mouth. “We’re going home, that’s final”, he ordered with a way that told there was no room for any arguments.

Freed sighed finally.

“Alright, we go home”, he agreed with a submissive tone.

Laxus huffed.

“Sorry about that”, he muttered. “Lost my temper. I just got so fucking pissed how he could get the jump on us just like that.”

“None of us could even imagine that he would attack so suddenly”, Freed said.

“But I meant what I said. Next train, I don’t fucking care if it’s middle of the night, we’re going back to Magnolia”, Laxus said.

“Guess we have no other choice then”, Freed said nodding. “Let’s wake up Bickslow and Evergreen.”

 


	62. Chapter 62

First train back to Magnolia was leaving early in the morning. Roxanne, Kvestor and even Roscoe came to see them off and Roxanne promised that they would arrive at Magnolia to see them when the ceremony was held.

Their journey back home went without problems and as the first thing they headed back to the Guild to talk with Makarov. And just like Laxus had predicted, the old man wasn’t very thrilled when they came back home with a mysterious book that Fairy Tail should now protect.

“But I’m not going to tell about this to the whole guild”, Makarov said. “This is something that Laxus and the Thunder Legion brought, so you four should remain as the only ones who know about this.”

“What about Levy?” Freed asked. “She could help me with it. And Porlyusica.”

“Fine, but that’s it. We will keep it at the basement, guarded by spells.”

“I can set there something”, Freed promised. “But we need there more than just my runes. Just in case.”

“I will come up with something. You’re free to go.”

With that they took the book downstairs and it was leaved behind the locks and spells. Freed would have wanted to start studying it right away, but Laxus disagreed. The rune mage was actually still worried about his Thunder God. Laxus was just... Slightly different. Like part of him was still affected by the dragon instincts.

Few days later Freed’s thoughts were only confirmed as Laxus got more unpredictable, more protective towards him. When he tried to talk about it, Laxus just brushed the whole thing aside and assured that everything was fine. He really wanted to talk about this with Levy but he was worried what might happen when Laxus and Gajeel would see each other. Of course they had seen each other at the Guild many times already, but if Freed talked with Levy that meant they should sit down hours and couldn’t avoid direct contact. Both being protective and jealous, everything could happen. Especially Laxus being like he was right now.

Freed wouldn’t have ever believed it to happen, but he really was getting sick of Laxus’ being near him all the time. And he did say it to him many times, his mood swings getting him easily annoyed. But that didn’t seem to bother the lightning dragon slayer one bit and he didn’t leave his side. Even though that was really irritating sometimes and Freed felt like he was being patronized, it still warmed his heart that Laxus was worried about him.

Laxus himself understood that he might be getting on Freed’s nerves, but he knew this was for the best. He was just being a good dragon taking care of his pregnant mate, that’s all. It was important to take care of the mate. Some day their offspring would leave the nest and start their own life but mate would stay by his side for the rest of his life. Without his mate... He simply couldn’t even imagine life without Freed anymore. Even thinking about it made him want to protect Freed more, keep him safe and warm. Laxus knew his mate was a strong man with lots of wisdom and he was one of the most bravest men he had ever encountered. But he couldn’t protect himself right now like he used to, so it was his job to keep him safe. 

He would do that even if it meant that Freed would yell at him from time to time or pout or even threaten that Laxus would sleep on the couch if he didn’t let Freed be alone for a while.

There was also something else that Freed noticed. Laxus was sleeping more and more lighter now. Even if Freed would yawn, Laxus would wake up immediately. It was almost scary. Yet still he didn’t seem that tired or was just really good at hiding it.

Their next visit to see Porlyusica again was when Freed really got worried. The old woman actually had to put Laxus under the sleep spell so she could examine Freed without getting disturbed all the time.

“Do you think that is normal?” Freed said looking worriedly at Laxus who was laying on the floor, snoring.

“It is really hard to say”, Porlyusica muttered still annoyed, her hand on Freed’s mark. “Gajeel is also getting more protective but not that much. Who knows what might cause it. It can just be part of his nature, it can be because he’s older or something is making him worry thus causing this annoying behaviour.”

“Something did happen, but I don’t know what. He refuses to tell me, saying that I shouldn’t worry about it”, Freed huffed.

“Let’s hope this phase will fade quickly. What comes to you, your baby seems to be doing just fine. He’s really starting to grow so prepare to get bigger soon.”

“Oh my god...” Freed sighed. Here he was secretly hoping that he might one of those with enough lucky to have a small baby belly.

“Your god cannot help you, he’s just as screwed as you are with this”, Porlyusica just said bluntly. “And try to eat more, you stupid human. Do you think that a diet would make that roundness disappear? I have news for you, it won’t. Not in the next four months yet.”

“That is a long time...” Freed sighed. “I already feel like I swallowed a balloon.”

“That balloon is going to grow a lot bigger.”

“I get it”, Freed huffed. “So more food.”

“Yes. And try to keep it balanced and diverse. More vegetables and berries.”

“I’ll keep that in my mind”, Freed nodded.

Porlyusica let the spell fade and when Laxus woke up, they headed back home.

 

Days went by fast and finally it was the day for the ceremony they had all been waiting for. The whole Guild gathered together, even Gildarts had returned.

“This is so exciting”, Bickslow grinned. “I hope I will get some good competition.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that is going to happen”, Freed smiled, as they were sitting on a table downstairs this time. “Competitors to S-class Trials are not chosen because of nothing.”

The hassle was loud like usually but they all went silent and stood up when Master Makarov finally stepped up on the small stage. Erza, Gildarts, Mirajane and Laxus followed him, settling in line behind him. Laxus looked only annoyed that he had to join with the other S-class wizards.

“Alright you brats”, Makarov said clearing his throat. “It is this time of the year once again. Do you want to hear about the trials first or the competitors?”

“Competitors!” was the loud answer from the Guild, making Makarov laugh.

“As you wish!” he yelled. “There will be four members who will take part of this year’s trials.”

“Four?” Natsu asked shocked and they all were surprised of the sudden change in the rules. “Why?”

“I have my reasons”, Makarov said. “Right now it is most suitable. It is up to the next Master will they follow the tradition of eight members in next year’s trials.”

There were murmurs, but all of them accepted the new rule without hesitation in the end.

“Alright, let’s continue then. So four competitors and the first one is being Bisca Connell!” he announced and all the members cheered, as Bisca looked stunned.

“I wasn’t even trying to compete this year”, she said surprised.

“Next one in line is Wendy Marvell!” Makarov said and Wendy jolted.

“B-but...” she stuttered but didn’t know what to say.

“Third one is Bickslow”, Makarov said and Bickslow howled excited, the Tiki dolls dancing around him. Freed laughed watching how happy the seith mage was. Bickslow really deserved this chance. “Fourth and last one is... Loke!”

“What?!” was a shout from many mouths and they looked at each other.

“But how can that be?” Max asked from Makarov.

“He’s a Celestial Spirit”, Warren reminded.

“I know, but he is still a member of Fairy Tail”, Makarov said. “Or do you disagree?” he asked and everyone went silent.

“Of course he can compete”, Gray smirked. “He has been fighting with us, eating with us and partying with us just like any other member from Fairy Tail.”

“Yeah!” others cheered happily again.

“Well, what an unexpected honour”, they heard a familiar chuckle, as the orange haired man appeared at the Hall. “I will gladly take this challenge as a proud member of Fairy Tail.”

“I thought so”, Makarov grinned. “Those are the participants! Now to the trials themselves!”

They all went silent again and waited with anticipation.

“The trials will start tomorrow”, Makarov announced and that made them all surprised. “I know it’s soon, but that’s alright. We don’t need to go anywhere far”, he chuckled.

“What will be the place for the trials this year, Master?” Freed asked just as curious as others.

“Here, in Magnolia”, Makarov grinned. “The whole town is our battleground.”

“That’s insane, Gramps”, Laxus said. “We’re gonna just destroy everything.”

“That’s alright since we have prepared for that and we have spells that will return everything back to normal after every day. Of course the town’s people are all aware of this and will be evacuated until the trials are over. They can follow how it goes by the lacrimavisions. Trials will last four days. There will be one quest and two battles for the first three days, plus something extra if I happen to come up with something”, the old man chuckled impishly, making the whole Guild sweat drop.

“What are those quests?” Wendy asked.

“I’m glad you asked, Wendy. The way how you handle those quests and battles grants you points. Who has most points in the fourth day, wins obviously. but it’s not yet over of course. The one with most points has to battle with one of the S-class wizards who they choose. I have asked some assistance from other Guilds to help us with those quests and here they are”, Makarov said waving his hand.

The curtains moved and revealed three figures. Ichiya, Kagura and Lyon.

“Men”, Ichiya said with a wink and stepped forward, making most of them have shivers run down their backs. “What a beautiful ceremony this is indeed. We are quite honoured to have this opportunity and help you have a new S-class wizard. This has every parts to make a perfect perfume.”

“I wonder...” Freed muttered to Ever who nodded.

“The quests will be announced when it’s their time”, Makarov said. “Go rest my children and wake up with full of energy! We will meet here at the Guild Hall at nine.”

They started to scatter. Bickslow grinned widely and stepped beside Loke.

“I’m gonna enjoy kicking your ass”, he cackled.

“Right back at you”, the lion smirked looking at the seith mage. “It has been a long time since we battled last time.”

“Yeah, this time you won’t get lucky, cat. Make sure not to waste all of your energy before our battle together. I want to confront you with all of your power”, Bickslow smirked.

“Same”, Loke grinned and vanished.

 


	63. Chapter 63

After the ceremony it was already time to head to the train station. Roxanne, Kvestor and Roscoe arrived with the train, looking around curiously. Roscoe was wearing his helmet though his other clothings were more casual now, but not far from his usual guard’s uniform.

“I’m glad you could arrive today already”, Bickslow grinned. “The Trials are starting tomorrow.”

“Already?” Roxanne asked surprised. “Talk about the time to prepare for it.”

“It cannot be helped, Madam”, Freed smiled as they stepped out of the station. “S-class wizards need to be prepared for everything.”

“I can understand that. So this is Magnolia nowadays. Doesn’t seem that much different than it was”, Roxanne said.

“When did you visit here?” Ever asked as they stepped down the stairs to the busy street. Everyone was packing their bags and talking about the S-class Trials. Of course there were people who were annoyed that they had to leave their homes for four days but all agreed that it was worth it. Fairy Tail would have another S-class wizard and that meant the town would be more guarded.

“It was shortly after you and your guild members went missing. I needed to have some answers from Porlyusica so I arrived here to talk with her directly.”

“I remember that”, Roscoe muttered and shivered. “It wasn’t a really pleasant meeting.”

“I can believe that, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “So you were here too?”

“I’ll always accompany Granny when she wants to visit somewhere outside Naava town, just in case.”

“Ooh, you’re such a good boy.”

“You wanna make me angry, puppeteer?” Roscoe snarled looking at Bickslow who just cackled.

“Do not pay too much attention to him”, Ever chuckled. “Or he will tease you. Just ignore him and he’ll get bored.”

“Why did you tell him?” Bickslow groaned. “Now there’s no fun anymore!”

At their house Freed opened the door to his room that he had cleaned thoroughly.

“You can stay here, Madam”, he said.

“I knew you were a bookworm”, Roxanne chuckled looking around, seeing many bookshelves that took most of the space in the room. “That’s really nice. Do you mind if I read something?”

“Of course not, but… Not every book is probably something you might like”, Freed said blushing slightly.

“Gay novels? You thought I didn’t guess that already?” Roxanne cackled putting her bag on the bed. “Don’t worry, sugar. It’s not my business what you like to read or not. If I see some book I don’t wanna read, I just leave it there it’s that simple.”

They looked up when they heard loud arguing from the attic that was Bickslow’s room, where Roscoe would sleep in a spare bed.

“Those two are definitely brothers”, Roxanne chuckled taking out her clothes and put them in the wardrobe Freed had emptied. “I’m so glad they could finally meet.”

“Me too”, Freed smiled. “Bickslow might be happy with just us and Fairy Tail, but I know he has thought it many times where he is from. I’m grateful that you decided to take contact with him.”

“I know, sugar. I just hoped that I would have done so a long time ago.”

Freed wanted to say that he wished so too, but didn’t say it. What he had imagined the time when Roxanne saw Bickslow in the magazine… It was the time what Bickslow definitely didn’t want Roxanne to know. Freed was pretty sure that Roxanne would understand but that wouldn’t take away the shame in Bickslow’s heart still.

So he didn’t say anything. It was what Bickslow would want so Freed couldn’t say anything. It was only Bickslow who could decide if he wanted to tell about that time to Roxanne and Roscoe.

“What about Kvestor?” Freed noticed. “The couch here isn’t really suitable to be a bed.”

“Kvestor can sleep with me”, Roxanne smiled. “He keeps my legs warm during the night.”

“Oh, then that’s okay”, Freed smiled. “I hope you have here everything you need. I’ll be sleeping at Laxus’ place of course but please tell me if there’s anything you need.”

“Of course, sugar. Now let’s go see that Guild House you all have been rambling about so much”, Roxanne cackled stepping in the hallway. “I wanna see the other mages there are. Roscoe! Bickslow! Are you two done there already?!” she yelled.

For a second there were a brief silence.

“Yes, Madam”, they both answered and that made Freed chuckle.

“Then come down here, we should start moving! Cutie told us to come at the Guild house before dark!” Roxanne commanded.

“Yes, Madam.”

“We like Granny!” ‘babies’ snickered snuggling against Roxanne who giggled.

“And I like you, you little rascals”, she smiled patting the totems. “You’re such sweeties.”

“We are!” the Tiki dolls giggled.

Once Bickslow and Roscoe were down, they started their journey towards the Guild House. Laxus was there already talking with other S-class wizards and quest helpers and of course Evergreen was there to see Elfman. Once they stepped inside, Bicksow immediately ran to Cana.

“There’s the most awesome woman in the whole world!” he cackled giving her a big smooch.

“I thought you wouldn’t arrive at all”, Cana giggled hugging Bickslow. “I thought you would be training for the last night.”

“Nah, wanted to spend it with you and the others”, Bickslow grinned. “I want to introduce you to someone.”

“Now that sounds serious.”

“Yeah, it is”, Bickslow grinned and turned them to face Roxanne. “Granny, this is Cana Alberona. Cana, this is Granny, Madam Roxanne.”

“Granny?” Cana asked surprised looking at the tiny woman.

“Yeah, we’re still figuring things out but it’s pretty sure that we are related”, Bickslow said and Cana was surprised.

“It’s not even dark yet and you’re already wasted”, Roxanne said looking at Cana. “I like you, biscuit”, she smirked. “You ain’t that bad girl, I can see that.”

“Thanks, I guess”, Cana said still astonished because of this sudden new information.

“This is Roscoe”, Bickslow grinned pulling Roscoe closer, making Cana blink.

“It’s nice to meet you”, Roscoe said.

“I think I’m more wasted than I thought”, she said. “Or do you see how much they look alike?” she asked from Evergreen who chuckled.

“You’re seeing right”, brunette assured. “They look really similar.”

“They could be twins”, Laxus snorted, appearing beside them with Makarov. “This is Gramps, he is the Master here.”

“It is nice to meet you”, Makarov smiled.

“Same, raisin”, Roxanne said.

“Oh dear...” Freed whispered to others but he wasn’t sure was he worried or amused, just like the others.

“Excuse me?” Makarov asked. “Raisin?”

“Is he going deaf or something?” Roxanne asked looking at Laxus.

“He might, you should definitely talk louder to him”, the lightning dragon slayer smirked.

“You hold your tongue, brat”, Makarov said and cleared his throat. “So you the one who gave that book for Laxus and the Thunder Legion earlier?”

“He’s having problems with his memory too?” Roxanne asked and Laxus nodded.

“He is”, he said.

“I’m not, would you stop that?!” Makarov yelled annoyed. “Did you come to see how we guard the book?”

“No, I wanted to come talk with Porlyusica and see how Bickslow’s trial will go.”

“It is not just his trials, you know...”

“Pish posh, cookie will own that trial and become that S-class wizard or whatever in no time at all, you’ll see that, raisin.”

“Aw, thanks Granny”, Bickslow grinned.

“Granny is wise!” the Tiki dolls giggled.

Freed smiled looking how the two elders started to argue and he sat down on the chair.

“Look at them go”, Laxus said amused, sitting down just beside his fiancé. “Like some old married couple.”

“They do seem to get along nicely”, Freed smiled and followed how other guild members came to talk with Roscoe as well, all amazed by the resemblance between him and Bickslow. That seemed to make him annoyed. “Roxanne or Roscoe didn’t happen to mention anything if they have any magic?”

“Not that I know”, Laxus said shaking his head. “I don’t believe we have talked about it. Why?”

“I was just wondering.”

“I’m sure Bickslow would like to ask them to join Fairy Tail if they do have magic. But Roxanne has her book store and Roscoe probably wouldn’t want to leave her alone in Naava Town with just a talking cat taking care of her.”

“You might be right. But at least Naava Town isn’t that far away”, Freed smiled looking at Kvestor who was of course talking with other exceeds. “They can see each other whenever they want. So what do you think about Bickslow’s rivals in the Trials?”

“Dunno about Bisca, never really fought with her but I know Loke is strong”, Laxus said. “And so is Wendy. At least when she really wants she can be just as strong as any other dragon slayer and won’t come down easily. I wouldn’t actually bet that Bickslow would win her. But why did Gramps set a rule about those points? There hasn’t been anything like that before.”

“I think it’s more convenient this way”, Freed smiled leaning against his chair’s back. “You might lose a battle, but you can still earn points by how you fought. S-class wizards are obviously strong, but there should be something in their heads too. You can win battles with pure power, but this way that power alone won’t grant you many points. This forces mages to think more and they have to be creative.”

“I guess I can understand that”, Laxus muttered. “But I just don’t understand how someone can be an S-class mage if they can’t win the battle.”

“There are seven battles total. They are just parts of this whole trial. Sometimes you have to lose a battle so you can win the war.”

“I’d hate this trial so much if I were Bickslow”, Laxus grumbled. “Glad I’m already an S-class wizard, no matter if I didn’t need to use my head then that much to win it.”

“You’re a wonderful S-class mage”, Freed assured without even a slightest hint of hesitation. “And you will make a fantastic Master if Makarov gives you that position.”

“You always say something like that”, Laxus huffed amused, looking at the rune mage.

“Of course I do. And I mean every word. How could I possibly be a good mate if I didn’t have an absolute trust towards you”, Freed smirked. “Even though you have been acting weird lately.”

“I’m not acting weird”, Laxus said. “Just wanna make sure nothing happens, that’s all.”

“At some point you have to tell me what happened when Jish-Ahrna appeared”, Freed said looking at the lightning dragon slayer. “You can’t actually think that I believe it when you say that nothing happened?”

Laxus just shut his eyes and Freed heard how he started listen to some music, clearly ignoring Freed’s attempts to get him talk about Jish-Ahrna. Freed rolled his eyes and looked what others were doing instead.

“It’s starting to get late”, Roxanne finally said. “We should go home and do some dinner, then go to bed.”

“Yeah, must sleep enough so I can kick some asses tomorrow”, Bickslow grinned.

“We’re gonna win!” ‘babies’ chanted.

“I don’t understand why all the mages seem so eager to fight all the time”, Roscoe said.

“It’s fun, baby”, Bickslow said sticking his tongue out.

“Would you stop doing that, it’s really annoying.”

“Remember what we told you”, Ever chuckled. “If you let him know that he gets on your nerves, it only encourages him.”

“No fun”, Bicks groaned. “Stop saying that to him!”

“Whatever, I really would like to have something good for dinner and then take a long bath”, Ever smiled stretching.

“So if this whole town is going to be a battleground, where do we go?” Roxanne asked.

“Some parts of this town will be guarded by spells so the town’s folk can stay there in safe and follow how everything goes”, Makarov explained.

“I see. So in the end the battleground isn’t actually the whole town.”

“Would it sound so impressive if I said that only eighty percent of the town’s area is the battleground?”

“You might have a point there, raisin. We better have some place where we can also eat something.”

“That is also taken care of.”

“So let’s go eat then”, Bickslow grinned. “It’s gonna be long day tomorrow.”

 


	64. Chapter 64

Morning was early and Freed and Laxus headed towards the Guild at eight o’clock. There were still lots of town’s people around the streets with their bags and stuff, heading towards their own place where to stay during that day’s trials.

“I wish Roxanne has made sure Bickslow and others won’t be late”, Freed muttered rubbing his eyes and yawned. He hated it so much that he had started to get sleepier. He had slept ten hours last night and still Laxus almost had to drag him out of the bed so they had enough time to eat and shower. Sometimes he still did wake up early, but it was happening less and less as the weeks went by.

“I’m sure of it”, Laxus said. “They might be already at the Guild, it’s not like we are too early.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Dreyar”, Freed grumbled looking at his fiancé. “Do you think I enjoy it when no matter what I do it just feels that I don’t get enough sleep?”

“I’m sure you’re suffering much but it’s for something really great, Mr. Soon To Be Dreyar”, Laxus chuckled and that made Freed actually smile a little.

“You might be right”, he nodded. “I just can’t believe I need so much sleep, Levy told me she doesn’t need extra-sleep at all and I feel like I can hardly stay awake during the day.”

“You should start taking naps”, Laxus suggested, even though he knew how Freed would react. The mere word ‘nap’ send cold shivers down Freed’s body.

“I refuse”, the rune mage said with an adamant tone. “I only take naps when I need to stay awake for the night because of a mission or something else important.”

“I guess then you just have to suffer.”

Freed muttered something just following Laxus as they stepped through the gates of Fairy Tail. There was a large dome made by magic covering the whole Guild. Same kind of domes were here and there around the town.

“There they are”, Freed smiled and they headed towards their little group that was already sitting down at their usual table.

So they sat down as well on their usual seats.

“Feeling nervous?” Laxus asked from Bickslow.

“Yeah, and it feels awesome”, the seith mage grinned. “I have to leave really soon. Master wants us to gather in front of the Cathedral by nine.”

“I thought you would start from here.”

“We thought too but guess things changed.”

“Who will be your first quest giver?” Freed asked curious.

“Dunno. We don’t know it before the quest and then they tell us what we need to do.”

“I wonder what Ichiya might make you do...” Freed murmured and Ever, Laxus and Bickslow looked worried as well.

“Who is Ichiya?” Roscoe asked confused.

“One of those three who should give the quests”, Laxus explained. “Small man with red hair.”

“That man is ugly as the ass of a vulcan”, Roxanne said. “He must be fun company. How do you know him?”

“For a while Fairy Tail was disbanded”, Laxus said. “So we had to join Blue Pegasus. Ichiya is part of that Guild.”

“He’s a good guy”, Bickslow grinned. “Stupid maybe and coward sometimes and such, but still a good guy in the end.”

They heard how the clock started to chime as it was 8:30 now.

“That’s my sign”, Bickslow cackled and he stood up. “At nine o’clock all the streets should be completely empty and we can start some rumble”, he said.

“See you later!” ‘babies’ giggled and followed the seith mage who headed towards the door. Wendy, Bisca and Loke joined him and they disappeared outside.

“There he goes”, Ever smiled leaning against her hand. “Our Bickslow is growing up.”

”It’s not like he was a kid in the first place”, Roscoe reminded. “Even though he acts like one.”

“Why are you so cold towards him?” Ever asked from the guard, who narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you happy to find a brother?”

“There isn’t actually any proves that he really is related”, Roscoe said.

“Oh come on! You could use each other as mirrors for shaving! How can you still doubt everything just like that?”

“Ever”, Freed said putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Sometimes things take time.”

“I think you are an ass”, Ever hissed looking at Roscoe. “Bickslow might not be the brightest lamp in the room and doesn’t want to think bad about you but you’re still just a big pile of shit.”

“That’s enough, Ever”, Freed said.

“Don’t you fucking dare to hurt Bicks’ feelings by being just a brat”, the fairy mage said to Roscoe, ignoring Freed’s words. “Maybe you’re just such a mama’s boy that you don’t want to share your grandma’s attention. I’m not going to sit with you in the same table before you start appreciate what you have”, she said and stood up, walking towards Elfman who was sitting with Mirajane and Lisanna.

Freed and Laxus looked at each other. Neither one of them was going to apologize Ever’s behaviour, but she could still have handled things better. But she was Ever, she only wanted the people most dear to her to be happy.

“Cutie really can show her teeth if she wants”, Roxanne chuckled. “And you, she has a point”, she said slapping Roscoe’s arm making the big man flinch. “Why can’t you be more friendly towards Bickslow?”

“I don’t hate him”, Roscoe snarled annoyed. “I just don’t know him, that’s all. He’s weird and way too happy about everything, he must be missing few screws from his head. He just appeared out of nowhere and I’m supposed to hug him and act like we’re best friends?”

“We are Bickslow’s best friends”, Laxus growled. “And his family too, so brother or not, you better watch what you talk about him while with us.”

“I agree”, Freed nodded. “We don’t need to tolerate your behaviour. If you really have problem with Bickslow, you’re free to go somewhere else.”

“Now you’re just making everyone mad”, Roxanne scolded her grandson. “Just try to be nicer. We might not know the facts yet but I’m sure Porlyusica can help us with that. It’s not like you’re losing anything if he is related. You’re getting something wonderful! You should appreciate it.”

“Whatever”, Roscoe muttered looking away.

Silence landed between them and it felt awkward. Finally Roxanne huffed.

“Well, let’s just now follow the lacrima visions so we can see how Bickslow is doing”, she suggested and they nodded. “We can talk more after that.”

There were four big screens inside the hall, three on the first floor and one in the second floor. They decided to stay in the second floor and Mirajane, Lisanna and Kinana were serving the last drinks and food. They decided to order some wings, chips and Freed stated that he was going to die if he couldn’t have some pickle sandwiches.

As the clock finally hit nine in the wall, all the screens turned on showing them the Cathedral Square. Bickslow, Loke, Wendy and Bisca were standing there in the line in front of the stairs, where Makarov was standing with Ichiya, Kagura and Lyon.

“It is finally that time”, Makarov said. “The S-class Trials has officially started now!”

They all cheered in the Hall.

“What do we do first, Master?” Bisca asked.

“We will start the day with the first guest”, Makarov smiled. “And the first one to act as your guest giver... Is Lyon”, he said stepping aside and Lyon stepped ahead.

“Good morning”, the white haired mage greeted with a tiny nod. “I’m really happy that I have this opportunity –“

“Blah blah, let’s start the guest”, Bickslow grinned and Freed facepalmed.

“Now that we’re not watching him there, no one can stop him doing whatever he wants”, Laxus chuckled his arms crossed. This was obviously going to be really fun.

“Idiot”, Roscoe muttered. “He should show some respect.”

“He does, in his own way”, Freed assured. “It takes some time before you get to know what is going on in his head.”

Lyon cleared his throat and raised his hand.

“Your guest is simple”, he assured. “All you need to do is catch as many as you can these.”

Ice appeared and it moulded into a big deer with large antlers. It was obviously strong and it snorted loudly, hitting the ground with it’s hoof.

“There will be total of one hundred stags like this around the town”, Lyon explained. “And there are only four passages out of the town. You each have your own passage you have to use so your catch is counted. Time limit is at the midday, all the remaining stags in town will disappear at that second and only captured ones will remain so we can count them.”

“Doesn’t sound that bad”, Loke smiled confident, adjusting his glasses.

“There are still more”, Lyon said with a tiny chuckle. “You are not allowed to fight each other. And whatever you do, you cannot attack these. Not a single hit is allowed”, he said and landed a punch at the large deer beside him, making it shatter into icy dust. “They will disappear at the moment you try to attack them. You can only capture them.”

“So we need to use something like lasso or similar?” Bisca asked.

“If you wish. You get one point of each deer. But if you shatter them, you will lose points. If you shatter more than four in a row, you will be eliminated from this guest once and for all and lose all of your points.”

They all looked at each other. At the Guild Hall Freed sighed.

“This cannot be good”, he said looking at the big screen. “I hope Bicks can come up with something and don’t just shatter them...”

“Have some faith, Freed”, Laxus said. “Bicks isn’t an idiot. He will be careful.”

“I hope so...”

When the rules were set, big dome appeared to cover the Cathedral separating the group of four participants from Makarov and three guest givers.

“The guest is on!” Lyon announced.

At the second all of them scattered around the town. The screen was now showing four perspectives as they followed all the participants. It was interesting as they followed how all of them handled the situation. Somehow Freed wasn’t at all surprised how well Bisca handled the lasso and had already gathered three stags to follow her. Wendy had some troubles as she didn’t seem to know how she could capture those creatures and Loke was mostly just scaring the deer away from him.

Only one who didn’t seem to do anything was Bickslow.

“What the hell is he doing?” Laxus frowned, looking at the seith mage who was standing at the middle of the empty marketplace.

“Seems like he’s picking his nose”, Roscoe said.

“Why aren’t he doing something?” Roxanne asked. “He’s not even trying to capture anything.”

“I’m sure he has some kind of a plan”, Freed assured, though he was also frowning. What was Bickslow doing? He was just standing there scratching his armpit, he couldn’t possibly be just waiting that the deer would appear out of nowhere?

Freed jolted slightly.

“The dolls”, he said when he noticed something. “He doesn’t have them.”

“What?” Laxus asked looking at the screen closely. “You’re right. They were hovering around him at the start.”

“Now they are gone”, Freed said. “So he has some plan”, he smirked and Laxus grinned.

“Of course he does”, the blond said. “Like hell he would just stand there waiting for the stags to appear. He will leave soon to gather them, those dolls are probably just looking around, finding the way out of the town and where the stags mostly are.”

So they waited. And waited. Bickslow yawned and dropped at the ground on his back, humming some song.

“Do something, blockhead!” Roscoe finally snarled to the screen. “There’s only one and a half hour left.”

“He can’t hear you”, Roxanne chuckled making Roscoe blush. “I’m sure something will soon happen.”

There were only one hour left and they still waited for something to happen. Suddenly Bickslow stood up and listened carefully. They could see him smiling widely. They all tensed up when suddenly the screen moved, showing more of the area around the seith mage for them.

“Oh my”, Roxanne said surprised.

“How did he do that?” Roscoe asked astonished.

Five streets were full of stags, all running towards Bickslow. They looked enraged and panicking, running fast and destroying everything that came to their sight.

“They are following his ‘babies’”, Freed noticed. “They gathered them for Bickslow!”

“Damn”, Laxus grinned amused. “He didn’t need to do a thing by himself. He just made those brats make all the remaining stags go nuts and follow them.”

As the packs were getting closer, Bickslow grinned.

“Line formation!” he ordered and hopped on top of the wooden dolls who clicked together.

Stags were shouting and crashing at each other as the five packs suddenly were all in the same place.

“There must be at least fifty of them”, Freed smiled.

Bickslow inhaled and let out a loud yell. He didn’t need to actually say anything, he just made sure he was noticed. As the stags noticed him and started their charge, Bicks grinned and flew towards the other road a big herd of deer following him. Their hooves rumbled the street stones as they tried to attack that man who was flying just in front of them.

“Go Bickslow!” Evergreen and Cana shouted excitedly and others had noticed the change too, following how everything went. Freed chuckled when he heard how surprised most of them were because of the sudden change. He knew most of their guild mates thought Bickslow wasn’t very smart. That was why he always managed to surprise everyone.

Bickslow lead the pack across the streets. He must have gotten the information of the location of his own passage from his ‘babies’ since he didn’t hesitate when making turns. He knew exactly where he should go.

Finally they all could see the big gates that were open. Behind them were a big fencing. Bickslow flew faster, opened the gate of the fence while flying past it, the stags followed him right into the area and had to calm down as they had no way where to go anymore.

Bickslow grinned landing down and closing the fence gates.

“That was really sneaky”, Laxus smiled. “There’s no way others can collect as many points as he did with just that one fly.”

“You’re right”, Freed chuckled. “Seems like Bickslow won this guest”, he smiled looking how Bickslow was doing a victory dance.

 

The clock hit the midday and there were lots of icy dust coming out of the town. There were still many deer left and now they disappeared and only those that were in fences remained.

Bickslow grinned when stepping in front of the Cathedral with the others. There was a big screen in the air that showed their scores. He had collected total of 52 stags in one go.

“That was fun”, he cackled.

“Impressive”, Lyon had to admit. “I was so sure no-one could collect more than maybe five or six of them.”

“You won this time, Bickslow”, Loke chuckled. He had collected five, Wendy two and Bisca thirteen. “But this was only the first guest.”

“Yeah, I know”, Bickslow smirked. “Not gonna let you catch up with me, though. I’m the one who will confront one of our S-class mages at the last battle.”

“We’ll see about that”, Bisca said.

“Everything can still happen”, Wendy smiled.

Makarov stepped up.

“Well done, brats”, he smiled. “That was really fun to watch. You all showed some creativity and how strong you can be even though you couldn’t attack your targets. I’m really proud of all of you four.”

“Thank you, Master”, Wendy smiled happily.

“Now we will all eat. The first battle will start at two o’clock so be ready then.”

“Who are the first two to compete?” Loke asked.

“I will tell you then”, Makarov assured. “Not before that. Now go eat and rest a while. We have prepared a table full of food inside the Cathedral to all of you.”

Freed smiled looking at Laxus.

“Bickslow is doing good”, he said eating his sandwich.

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded. “Let’s hope he will keep his head. Many get too cocky when they are on lead and then they will get careless and lose”, he said reaching out his hand to take the other half of the sandwich that was on a plate, but got slapped by the rune mage.

“Sorry, but these are only for me”, Freed chuckled when Laxus grumbled something. “You have to ask your own sandwiches from Mira.”

“Does Bickslow have any chances when they start fighting?” Roscoe asked. “Are those three others stronger than him?”

“It all depends of the environment and what are the rules. And sometimes a little bit luck is needed. I’m sure Bickslow will do just fine”, Freed assured. “Don’t worry.”

“It’s not like I’m worried”, Roscoe growled annoyed.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late! ^^' I started work again after a long vacation, I don't know I just got a little bit depressed for couple of days because I was suddenly so tired again (takes time to ease back to the normal rhytm with work and freetime) and everything I tried to write was just pure crap. But now I'm feeling better! Though, I really have to consider about starting to update this story only once a week. I'll still think about it and see how things will go. Thanks for all the comments and kudos! ^^

Freed yawned and shifted slightly, smiling when he felt the big coat around him. He absolutely loved Laxus’ coat. He loved it when he could snuggle inside it and wake up feeling the furry lining against his cheek and the warmth all around him. And of course Laxus’ own scent. In cold winter days like now, this was absolutely one of the best ways to wake up. Even though it felt like something was tiptoeing on his side...

“You’re smiling foolishly, you know?” he heard a purring chuckle that made his eyes open immediately.

“What?” the green haired mage muttered, his brain still half asleep.

“I wonder what you might be dreaming?” he heard a mischievous giggling and blinked his eyes.

Finally he shifted more so he could look around and saw who was talking with him.

“Happy?” he asked confused.

“Aye!” Happy grinned.

“I’m terribly sorry we had to disturb your sleep”, Panther Lily said stepping closer to the couch where Freed had been sleeping and the swordsman was more confused.

“Is something wrong then?” he asked looking around. How long did he sleep? The screens weren’t on but there were still lots of people around the Hall.

“Nothing is wrong, no need to be alarmed”, Lily assured rising his paw.

”We are playing truth or dare”, Happy said. “Me and Lily got a dare, we had to wake you up.”

“Why?” Freed asked still confused.

“Because everyone was sure you would get angry.”

“I’m not yet awake enough to do that”, Freed sighed and sat up properly.

“I’m sure others will be really disappointed”, Lily smirked. “Are you feeling well, Freed?”

“Yes, I guess”, the rune mage said running his fingers through the green hair. Just when he had been so strict earlier not to take naps, here he was doing just that. “Feels like I slept too long... Has the battles started? I think I fell asleep before they started.”

“Eh? Freed, those battles are over!” Happy said and Freed jolted looking at the blue cat. “Wendy won Bickslow, Loke won Bisca.”

“Though, Bickslow is still leading because he had 52 points from the guest”, Lily said. “Now he has total of 57 points, Bisca has 16 points, Loke 15 and Wendy 10.”

“How many points they can have per fight?” Freed asked, still slightly dizzy. He slept through the whole thing? Why didn’t anyone wake him up?

“Ten is the highest amount”, Lily explained. “Everything is measured. Strength, wits, adaptation, strategy, speed, even how smoothly you move. Loke made a perfect score. You must be thinking how Bickslow did, I wouldn’t say he was bad but this time Wendy was better.”

“In next guest there might be again something that could grant lots of points at one go”, Freed murmured. “If Bickslow manages to have lots of points again, he has a really good chance.”

“I wouldn’t say that”, Lily interrupted, while Happy was going through what were in the pockets of Laxus’ coat. “They can just as easily lose those points, remember? One wrong move and you might get disqualified from the guest once and for all, losing everything.”

“You’re right”, Freed huffed. “I was looking at the numbers too much. And if he does mistakes he might lose his points during the guest even if he’s not disqualified... So, where are Bickslow and others right now?” he asked confused. He didn’t see Laxus nor Roxanne or Roscoe. He heard Ever’s voice though, she was nagging about something to Elfman.

“Laxus is talking with Master”, Lily smiled. “No need to worry. Bickslow is with other competitors there too and Mirajane is showing the Guild House for Roxanne and Roscoe.”

“And Kvestor then?” Freed asked and he stood up, folding Laxus’ coat after pulling Happy out of it’s other sleeve.

“He’s playing with us, he said he has never played truth or dare before so of course we wanted to play with him, even though at first we weren’t sure if he would want to”, Happy said. “You know, Kvestor is kinda like Freed.”

“He is”, Lily snickered.

“It’s not yet too late for me to get irritated because you two woke me up without a good reason”, Freed reminded.

“Run!” Happy yelled quickly flying downstairs.

“Excuse us”, Lily nodded and went after the blue exceed.

Freed huffed and walked towards the stairs, noticing Ever sitting on a bar stool downstairs so he decided to join her.

“Oh, you woke up”, brunette smiled to the rune mage.

“Yes”, Freed nodded sitting down. “Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked frowning.

“Laxus said not to do it”, Ever defended herself. “I would have done it, I knew you wouldn’t like it if you couldn’t see Bickslow’s fight but he threatened to give me an afro with his lightning if I went five steps closer to you”, she tisked crossing her arms.

“Seriously, those dragon slayers and their instincts”, Freed sighed.

He thanked Lisanna when he got a cup of tea. For a while he just listened what Ever and Elfman argued and how Lisanna giggled and teased them. He wondered if Makarov was planning something extra for the next day or maybe it had something to do with the fights today.

“Are you worried?” Ever asked and Freed snapped out of his thoughts, after staring at the stairs almost five minutes.

“Maybe a little”, Freed confessed. “Guess anything can happen?”

“Definitely. But I’m sure Bickslow will do well”, Ever assured.

“You’re right”, Freed smiled taking a sip from his tea. “He only needs to do his best.”

 

The sun was starting to set and the magic domes had been dismissed so that town’s people could return back to their homes for the night. Most of the Fairy Tail’s mages also went home, but the Thunder Legion and their Thunder God were walking through the forest with Roxanne and Roscoe. Towards the small cottage where no-one should go without a really good reason.

Once they arrived, there were immediately a huge fight between Porlyusica and Roxanne and they all decided to just wait outside the house. It felt more safe that way.

“I wonder how this will end up...” Bickslow said.

“Granny is all fired up!” the Tiki dolls giggled.

“She came all this way to see her again after years and this is how they greet each other?” Roscoe asked confused.

“It sounds like they are having a good time”, Freed smiled and Ever nodded.

“Porlyusica didn’t even yell at her to close the door quickly or to make sure her shoes were clean”, the brunette chuckled. “I guess miracles can happen and they actually are friends.”

“They are weird both of them”, Laxus muttered as he heard something shattering inside. “No-one is going to believe us if we speak about this at the Guild.”

They waited a while longer and because there were nothing else to do, Bickslow started to built a snowman with Ever and Freed joined them by looking for something what to use as eyes and nose. Laxus just sat down leaning against the tree and Roscoe walked around the cottage.

Suddenly the guard almost fell over when five snowballs hit him hard and he wiped the snow off, looking around annoyed.

“You damn maggots”, he growled when he noticed five teenagers, not so well hiding behind a fallen tree trunk and giggling.

“We wanna play snow fight!” they announced.

“Go play somewhere else.”

“We wanna play with uncle!”

“What?” Roscoe flinched his jaw covering visor almost dropping on the ground.

“Here we come!” ‘babies’ cheered and jumped out of their cover, holding as many snowballs as they possibly could.

Roscoe gnarled covering his face as he was hit with the snowballs, trying to see what was happening. ‘Babies’ just giggled and surrounded him, throwing their snowballs from every direction.

“Stop that!” he finally roared annoyed and the fierce barrage of snow balls calmed. Even Bickslow, Ever and Freed stopped what they were doing and Laxus glanced towards Roscoe.

All five colourful little souls were confused, almost hurt as they looked at Roscoe who was just irritated.

“We were just having fun”, Pippi said.

“Snow fight is really fun!” Poppo assured.

“Maybe for you”, Roscoe grumbled wiping off the snow.

“Let them have their fun”, Bicks grinned. “What’s the harm, baby? We can’t go inside before Porlyusica and Granny have caught up with what all has happened last years so why not try to relax?”

“I said I’m not interested to play their little games”, Roscoe growled adjusting his collar. “They can play by themselves, can’t they?”

“More participants means more fun!” Pappa smiled.

“Yeah!” others cheered happily.

“Then play with Bickslow and others, I don’t care.”

Freed frowned slightly and looked at the others. Roscoe had been tense for the whole time when visiting Magnolia...

“Is there something bothering you?” Bicks asked what they all had been wondering.

“That I believe is none of your business”, Roscoe said bluntly.

“Hey, it’s not like we are some total strangers, right? Who knows what the truth about us being related is, but –“

“That has nothing to do with anything”, Roscoe growled his dark red eyes cold as ice. “This is not some story where there always will be a happy ending. In reality nothing goes according to how you wish it would go, because wishes are not what decides the future. Future will happen neither we like it how it happens or not, it’s just a coincidence that sometimes it goes how you like it. People aren’t just some dolls having fun day after day and thinking positive about everything and everyone, you should understand that much already.”

“You’re such a negative nancy”, Bickslow huffed.

“Uncle is boring”, ‘babies’ nodded.

“Whatever”, Roscoe said crossing his arms. “I don’t know what kind of a person you would imagine your brother should be, but that’s not something you can decide.”

“I’m not saying what kind you should be”, Bicks assured. “I just wish we could have more fun.”

“Well I have news for you, I’m not a fool like you, Bickslow. You’re the kind of a guy who cracks up if someone says something stupid like fart dragon slayer or – Stop laughing!” Roscoe yelled annoyed when Bickslow was already laughing out loud. And he wasn’t the only one and Laxus raised his eyebrows amused, looking at Ever and Freed who had both let out some kind of a slightly giggling exhale. Of course they covered it with a cough like nothing happened.

Roscoe sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You’re an idiot”, he said looking at Bickslow who started to calm down finally. “That’s what you are. Let me tell this as clearly as I can for you: I don’t care what the truth is. I have made it perfectly fine until now and I hope that I can continue my life without a hindrance who knows nothing about how bad life can be.”

“Hey!” Ever interrupted now irritated. “You don’t know what Bickslow have been through!”

“There is no point at comparing each others lives which one is more good or bad”, Freed said. “Because every life is different than the other.”

There was a brief silence.

“You really think family is just a hindrance?” Bicks asked with a tone that didn’t say what he was thinking.

“No”, Roscoe grumbled. “Family is important. You have your family, I have mine. I might only have Granny, while you have all those people who have looked after you and helped you. Me and Granny did it all by ourselves, since mother didn’t want to stay. Tell me, was she maybe a member of Fairy Tail too?” he asked and Freed flinched with others. “For how long? Did he leave that place too after she got bored?”

“Eh?” Bicks said confused. “She didn’t belong to Fairy Tail. Neither did I before I was seven. I don’t even remember my mom.”

This time it was Roscoe that seemed truly surprised, looking at Bickslow but he didn’t say anything.

“Look baby, I don’t know why you’re like you have a stick up in your ass but my life hasn’t been just dancing and having fun either”, Bickslow huffed. “I’ve had my own problems too, you know? And about that having everyone looking after and taking care... If you knew what kind of an asshole I was not even that long ago, you wouldn’t think that way”, the seith mage said.

“You were?” Roscoe asked and he honestly looked confused. He only knew Bickslow who wanted to have fun, laughed with his guild mates, was very close with his team and maybe did some pranks but wasn’t actually a bad guy.

“Yeah, you better believe that”, Bickslow said with a smirk that was full of loathe about his past self. “I was such a dick you can’t even imagine it. I didn’t give a shit what would happen to my guild mates. Heck, I was so messed up I wouldn’t have cared if I had killed one of them!”

“Bickslow”, Freed said. “That’s not true.”

“I just wanted to have fun, but at that time it was like the only way how I could have fun was hurting people”, Bicks snorted. “I used to have fun other ways before that time, but... I don’t know, I got cocky and I thought I was so badass and strong, while in the end I was actually lacking all the traits that really make a mage strong. An actually good reason why to be strong, to make it simple. Something that really makes you do your best no matter what.”

“We were all like that”, Ever stepped up opening her fan. “Not just Bickslow alone. We stayed as a team only because we couldn’t get along with others anymore. We were so horrible we hardly got along with each other even but we stayed together because we thought we had no-one else. Even when we were young, not yet full of hatred and distrust, it was hard for us to just befriend with others but then we at least still tried.”

“That is true”, Freed nodded and Roscoe looked at them with disbelief in his eyes.

“I can’t imagine you guys acting like that”, the guard muttered. “Not even Evergreen who I thought was a little bit annoying...”

“What was that?” Ever hissed irritated.

“Don’t blame them”, Laxus said before Ever would use her fan as a weapon to beat up Roscoe. “It was my fault from the beginning things got like that.”

“You?” Roscoe frowned. “I knew there was something about you... Something that told me something big must have happened that has made you like you are now.”

“Yes. Explaining everything would make this a way too long conversation, but to make it simple I attacked Fairy Tail with the Thunder Legion.”

Roscoe looked at the little group. He seriously couldn’t believe that. He saw how well they got along with the other mages in Fairy Tail! They were part of that Guild! They were talking with others, laughing and having a good time. When seeing something like that it was definitely hard to believe what they had just told him.

Roscoe frowned. But... When he looked at those four who were staring back... Even though they weren’t avoiding his gaze he could see it from their eyes how difficult this conversation must be for them. There was such a great amount of shame and regret in their stares, yet still they didn’t look away. They were taking full responsibility of their actions and knew that even if they were so shamed they could just crawl into some hole and die there, they couldn’t just pretend like nothing happened and look away.

“So what changed everything?” Roscoe asked.

“When you get that low like we did, only way to get up is that someone beats some sense in your head again”, Bickslow smirked. “We’re stubborn assholes, you can guess that we had to get literally beaten up before we could finally wake up.”

“After that we wanted to make things right”, Freed said with a small smile. “And we still do. Fairy Tail is our home and family and we will protect it no matter what.”

“It is easy to lose yourself if you let one thing take too much space in your thoughts”, Laxus said. “Especially if it’s bitterness or hate because of something you can’t change in your life. It is easy to be angry for the world but in the end it will only destroy you, while accepting it is hard but will make you stronger.”

“You’re not really mad at Bickslow, right?” Freed asked and Roscoe stayed silent. “You probably thought that Bickslow had something you didn’t have, a whole family. Not that Roxanne isn’t your family, but you maybe thought that Bicks had a mother and a father while you couldn’t have that while growing up. It didn’t feel fair to you that now he could have a grandmother too. Don’t feel bad about yourself, it is actually a quite natural reaction. You thought your mother were having a new life and abandoned you.”

“I understand that”, Bicks said. “I probably would have thought that way too.”

The seith mage grinned wide.

“Now that we know more about how things really are we can be buddies, right?” he asked excitedly. “No need to be such a grumpy!”

“We can have fun!” ‘babies’ cheered jumping around Roscoe.

“It’s not that easy”, the guard grumbled. “It’s not like things magically just get better.”

“Take your time”, Laxus said. “And think about things. Think about what you can get if you let go of the pointless bitterness and hatred.”

Roscoe muttered something and just turned around walking away. But they could see from his face that he really was already doing his best and try to think things from the new point of view.

For maybe ten seconds there were silence between them, until Bickslow bend over to scoop his arms full of snow.

“What are you doing?” Ever asked.

“I’m gonna help him think faster”, Bickslow snickered and ran after Roscoe, his ‘babies’ just behind him.

“Is that wise?” Ever asked worried.

“Eh, let them handle it their own way”, Laxus said as they sat down on the tree trunk. “I’m sure they can find a solution.”

“I’m sure of that too”, Freed smiled.

They heard Roscoe’s loud and angry cursing and soon Bickslow ran past them cackling, while Roscoe followed him snatching the head from the snowman. Obviously determined to use it to suffocate Bickslow.

“Yeah, they will be fine”, Laxus smirked.

“Bickslow is so lucky”, Ever chuckled. “In the end, they are still very much alike.”

 


	66. Chapter 66

It was getting late when Freed and Laxus returned back to Laxus’ house.

“I wonder how Porlyusica is going to find out if Bickslow is related with Roxanne and Roscoe”, the rune mage said starting to make some dinner for them.

“If she says she is going to do that, we don’t really need to know how she does it”, Laxus murmured sitting down after setting the table ready.

“I guess you’re right. I really hope everything will turn out well. It would be sad if it turns out they are not related after all.”

“I don’t think that might happen, it’s pretty obvious that they are. We will find it out soon, there’s no point wondering about it before that.”

“Should we talk about the house then?” Freed suggested and he put spaghetti on the plates with meat sauce and brought them in the table. “We haven’t actually talked about that since we left Naava Town.”

“I found this”, Laxus said and fetched a newspaper from the living room and opened it. “Big kitchen and living room, two bathrooms and three bedrooms, what do you think?”

Freed took the paper and read the note.

“Not bad”, he smiled. “It’s not far from the Guild, the area is friendly and it has an attic that could be turned into an office if we need one. It could make a good library too.”

“I’m not surprised you thought it that way”, Laxus said amused. “But where would we need an office?”

“We still don’t know who will be the next Master”, Freed reminded. “If it’s you it is a good idea to have an office at home also.”

“Damn, for a moment I managed to forget that Gramps is supposed to announce the next Master after the Trials”, Laxus groaned.

“I’m sure you will be an excellent Master, Laxus”, Freed chuckled.

“It’s not sure yet that I will be the next Master. I think Erza is more suitable for that.”

“If it turns out that way, I’m of course really happy for her”, Freed assured with a smile. “I have no doubts that she wouldn’t be an excellent Master as well. You are both really good candidates.”

“If I’m not Master, we can continue going into the missions like we always do.”

“I know, that would be really nice too. But you have such a potential it would be waste not to use it. But I’m sure that whatever is Makarov’s last decision, it is what is best for the Guild.”

“Yeah, I guess. But if I’m gonna be the next Master it sucks when the Grand Magic Games start again”, Laxus growled.

“You know it is forbidden by reason for Master to compete in Grand Magic Games. I know it’s not that much fun to just stand aside but then we can just do our best and cheer to our guild mates who made it to the team.”

“I’m sure you would have made it in the team this year, you would have made it in the S-class Trials also and you would have kicked everyone’s asses”, Laxus grinned and Freed laughed.

“I don’t know about that, but thank you for your trust”, the rune mage smiled. “Of course I would have done my best.”

He took the newspaper.

“So do you want to go see this place?” he suggested.

“Sure, if you like it. It has a big backyard too, maybe our kid wants to have a swing when he gets older.”

“I like that idea”, Freed smiled. “Let’s go see this place after the Trials.”

 

In the next morning they headed to the Guild.

“So today your quest giver is either Kagura or Ichiya”, Ever said to Bickslow who nodded.

“I don’t know which one makes me more worried”, he cackled.

“I’m pretty sure you should be more worried what Kagura might make you do”, Freed said. “We know how Ichiya is, he might arrange a quest that has something to do with the host club or similar.”

“That is definitely something he might do”, Laxus grumbled. “But Kagura… Dunno, she has her own traits but she is definitely not gonna make you do something easy.”

“Whatever, I’m still gonna win this thing”, Bickslow grinned. “I don’t care what they bring to us, I’m just gonna do it.”

“That’s the spirit”, Freed smiled. “We will be here rooting for you.”

After a while Bickslow had to leave with the other competitors and they took their usual places. Roxanne and Roscoe joined them, Roscoe being a lot more quiet than before. He just followed the screen as Makarov was talking.

“So it is Kagura”, Freed huffed when Kagura stepped up as the next quest giver. “And she’s looking determined to make them work hard to earn every point.”

”She looks like a girl you just know not to talk back if you don’t have a good reason to do so”, Roxanne chuckled amused. “I like that.”

They followed as Kagura talked and announced the quest. It wasn’t anything complicated, actually it was pretty simple but... Well, it was pretty harsh.

“Are they really going to be okay?” Ever sweat dropped, when looking how all four participants tried to move massive boulders through the streets. “What is the point of that?”

“It’s about pure strength, not relying on magic in everything you do”, Laxus said.

“Poor Wendy”, Ever huffed leaning against her hand. “This must be really tough for her.”

After the boulders there were rope walking.

“What the hell?” Laxus grumbled. “This is just stupid.”

“You might think so, honeycomb”, Roxanne cackled. “But having a good balance is really important for the mage. And it helps in fights too.”

After rope walking there were limbo.

“Come on! That can’t be important in any possible way!” Roscoe said irritated.

“Bickslow has a huge disadvantage in this since he is so tall”, Freed said. “For Wendy this is a perfect opportunity to get as many points as she can. She is doing surprisingly good this time.”

“Isn’t that kinda unfair?” Roscoe asked.

“Times when you can actually choose your environment where to fight are quite rare”, Roxanne explained. “Sometimes there are really unfair situations. You can only try to do your best and adapt.”

“For dragon slayers, it is always a disadvantage when they need to fight in ships or trains or similar. But they just have to overcome it and do their best”, Freed nodded. “You can never know what will happen when you start a new mission.”

It was not a surprise that Bickslow managed to get only one point when they already had to move on. There were lots of different kind of exercises that really tested their skills. Only few of the exercises needed magic in the end and Freed could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the scores in the end.

Bicks had only 63 points, Loke was now second with his 55 points, Wendy thirds with her 47 and Bisca last with 42 points.

“Bickslow might still lead, but this time he was definitely the last one to gather the points”, Laxus grumbled. “That is bad if he won’t get himself together.”

Sure, Bickslow was very acrobatic but there were also lots of mistakes with what he did. Kagura was strict with the rules and she did not allow even one mistake. In the end Bickslow ended up losing almost every point he earned in the quest, but managed to keep himself in the game still.

“At this rate Loke will caught up with him in no time at all”, Freed said crossing his arms.

“Do you think Bickslow has any changes against him?” Roscoe asked looking at the others.

To his great surprise, they stayed silent.

“What? Really?” he said. “You don’t believe he can win?”

“It all depends”, Ever huffed. “How determined he really is to win.”

“He has to win if he wants to be an S-class wizard.”

“We know that and he knows that. But it just isn’t that simple”, Freed said. “Bickslow is more of a happy-go-lucky kind fighter, while Loke is a strategist. If you look only at the numbers, it is more likely that the strategist wins.”

“But nothing is really decided before everything is really over”, Laxus said. “As long as Bickslow keeps on fighting, everything can still happen. And even if he loses his upcoming fight against Loke, he can still have enough points so he can confront the S-class mage he chooses.”

“You’re one of those, right?” Roscoe asked looking at the blond dragon slayer. “What if he chooses you?”

“Then I will have a fair fight with him and he really needs to show that he is worthy enough to step up to be an S-class wizard”, Laxus said.

“Has Bickslow ever won when you two have been fighting?”

“Never.”

Roscoe looked at Laxus, who kept his eyes on the screen. How was Bickslow supposed to be an S-class wizard if he couldn’t beat one?

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Gramps knows what he is doing”, Laxus assured. “There are also Gildarts, Mirajane and Erza who he might fight with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they are weaker than me. I don’t believe Bickslow would choose me, though.”

“Why not? He knows how you fight.”

“Yeah, and I know how he fights. It is highly unlikely that he can surprise me and surprises are one of his most effective trump cards.”

Roscoe huffed and looked back at the screen. Being a wizard was really much more than he had ever thought. There was so much you needed to know. He hated to admit it, but he really started to respect Bickslow in a whole new way. Not that he actually hated the seith mage at the beginning if he was being honest with himself.

After a while Bickslow, Wendy, Loke and Bisca returned back to the Guild House this time to eat. Freed took this opportunity and he approached Makarov who was sitting on a bar counter.

“May I have a word with you, Master?” he asked.

“Hm? Alright, Freed”, Makarov nodded. “Here or in my office?”

“Office, if that is okay.”

Makarov nodded and hopped down from the bar counter and they headed towards the stairs. Freed closed the door after them and they sat down.

“What is it, Freed? Is everything alright?” the old master asked softly.

“I wanted to speak about Laxus”, Freed said. “Have you noticed him acting differently in last weeks? After we came back from Naava Town?”

“Differently?” Makarov said surprised. “To be honest, I haven’t payed that much attention to him lately, mostly because he is with you all the time so I thought you would tell me if something was wrong. So there is something then?”

“Yes. Or… I’m still just guessing but I’m pretty sure something is really bugging him”, Freed said. “Something happened in Naava Town, just before we left.”

“I see. Tell me everything, Freed”, Makarov suggested

So Makarov could understand the situation better, Freed had to tell him more about his dreams and his grandfather’s demons. Then he told how Jish-Ahrna appeared out of nowhere, how they all fell asleep and when he woke up…

“I have never seen him like that”, Freed said shaking his head. “Never. And somehow I think that he isn’t yet over it.”

“He’s not? Isn’t he acting normal then?” Makarov asked frowning.

“He is, but it’s just something that I can’t describe fully”, Freed huffed. “It’s like he hasn’t let go of some of those dragon instincts that came up that day. He is more alarm all the time, he hardly sleeps and I don’t think that is good for him no matter what he says.”

“I understand”, Makarov murmured. “I believe your word when you say something is not right. So what do you suggest we should do?”

“That I don’t know, I’m sorry”, Freed sighed. “I wish I knew. I can only hope that nothing happens that might trigger his dragon side again, or he might end up getting even worse.”

“Could you tell me what do you know about all this situation that might get him so worried?” Makarov asked. “I’m sure it must be something really big. Considering it is your grandfather who is doing this and if he did approach Laxus while you others were sleeping, what did he say? Can you maybe guess something?”

Freed bit his lip and thought back, how Laxus didn’t want to tell Makarov why Lucados was after them. But… Maybe this was time to talk about that with Makarov.

“He wants a new heir”, Freed finally stated. “Our son.”

Makarov’s eyes widened, then there were anger and then finally forced calmness as he shut his eyes.

“Son?” he asked.

“Yes”, Freed said.

“Laxus has not yet said anything about that”, Makarov chuckled slightly. “So there will be another son in Dreyar family then.”

“We did not mean to keep it as a secret”, Freed assured. “I thought Laxus must have already said something.”

“He didn’t. But I’m not mad, it’s really something that only belongs to you and Laxus to know right now, but I’m happy to hear those news of course”, Makarov smiled. “Does the little one has a name yet?”

“Yes. Felix”, Freed smiled. “Felix Dreyar.”

“I like that name. It has power in it. Who came up with that name?”

“Laxus. My other grandfather was named Felix Justine, so he thought it would be nice to use that name. I agree with him.”

“Me too. That is a fine name”, Makarov nodded.

Then he frowned darkly.

“So Lucados is after him?” he asked.

“I’m afraid so”, Freed nodded worried.

“We have to do everything we can so one of us won’t get in danger. No, two of us. Has he ever directly approached you or others yet?”

“No, only in my dreams or that one time when he sent Jish-Ahrna after us. But I honestly don’t know what happened then. Laxus told me that he chased Jish-Ahrna away but that is all I know. I was hoping that you might know more.”

“I don’t, I’m sorry”, Makarov sighed, crossing his arms. “I understand why Laxus didn’t want to tell me about this, he knew I would set the whole Guild in alarm because of this.”

“I think you shouldn’t”, Freed said quickly. “That would be selfish. Would you do that if Levi’s baby was in danger in same way?”

“Of course I would!” Makarov yelled and Freed flinched. “Levi is my child just as much as everyone else here. And I would damn well make sure nothing happens to her. Nothing happens to my family as long as I live! Are they blood related or not and that is final.”

“Yes, of course”, Freed said. “I’m sorry I ever doubted that, Makarov. I know very well how much you treasure Fairy Tail and everyone who belongs to it.”

“Good”, Makarov said. “But now we really have to think things through. If there is such a danger, maybe it is a good thing if we stop S-class Trials -”

“No!” Freed said looking at the old man. “We can’t do that. Bickslow and everyone, they have been waiting for this to happen the whole year! And I don’t want to sound like I’m talking for Bickslow’s benefits because he would not like that, but I know he has done an gone through so much so he can have this chance finally! He wants to prove that he is worth to be an S-class wizard.”

“But as the situation is right now, we can’t guarantee the full safety”, Makarov said. “I’m sure Bickslow and others would understand.”

“I know they would. But it’s still not right”, Freed said stubbornly. “Laxus is there all the time, he is taking care that nothing happens, I’m sure everything will be alright. Just until the Trials are over. Please, Master, let them have this Trial and have their chances to prove themselves. Fairy Tail needs new S-class Mages.”

Makarov huffed looking at the rune mage. He was still really worried, but he did get Freed’s point. S-class Trials were a big thing for mages. He as well knew that Bickslow, Wendy, Loke and Bisca would all understand if they stopped them, but it wasn’t just that simple. That would mean a whole year waiting until the next trials. 

“I understand”, he finally murmured and Freed was relieved. “But I will make some arrangements.”

“Arrangements?” Freed asked confused.

“Yes. Since we can’t trust that your grandfather won’t maybe do something while the Trials are on, and knowing him how he was at younger age, I will make an announcement that Gildarts is our next Master if something happens to me.”

“Grandfather would go that far? Why would he attack you?”

“We just can’t be sure about anything in situations like this”, Makarov said. “If that man is determined to have his heir no matter what… He will most probably attack the whole Guild. But he won’t do it just like that, he will attack sneakily and destroy everything from inside out.”

“So he would go straight to the Master of the Guild?” Freed said.

“That is the most effective way if he is as strong as I think he is today. He is a strategist just like you. He knows that when there is a Trial going on, the Guild is really vulnerable even though we have all of our S-class wizards here in the same town. If he uses that same fog and causes everyone to fall asleep...”

“But that didn’t effect Laxus.”

“We don’t know if it did or why it didn’t. Not before Laxus tells us something himself. But as he is being a stubborn blockhead right now, trying to take care of everything himself I doubt that he will tell us.”

“I’m afraid you’re right”, Freed sighed. “What else arrangements were you talking about?”

“It is better if you will stay with Laxus here at the Guild House”, Makarov said. “At the guest rooms. I suggest the Thunder Legion should stay too and I will as well. This house is more safe than being there in the middle of the town in a small house.”

“Others might start to wonder what is going on.”

“I will tell them not to worry about it. I would like to ask many others to stay as well, but then we had to tell them what is going on.”

“We should invite Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor here too, since they are staying with us.”

“You’re right. Tell this to them now, after the battles are over you all go pack your things and come back here. I’ll try to come up how we can make sure Lucados cannot attack us just like that but until then this is our plan. Do you understand, Freed?” Makarov said.

“I understand, Master”, Freed nodded and he stood up. “I will go talk to them right away.”

“Good. I have to leave back to the town now with Bickslow and others but inform him when he comes back after the battles. Talk with others now.”

“I will”, Freed nodded and he stepped back to the hallway.

Somehow he felt even more worried now than when he entered in the office. 

 


	67. Chapter 67

After the battles – Bickslow won Bisca and gained 7 points, while Loke won Wendy and he got 9 points – the town was again free to return back to its normal rhytm for the evening. Freed had explained everything to Laxus, Evergreen, Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor. After Bickslow returned back to the Guild, he explained everything to him as well.

“We can have a slumber party”, the seith mage grinned as they started their journey towards their house. “That would be fun.”

“So much fun”, ‘babies’ giggled.

“It’s not like we are all going to sleep in the same room”, Roscoe said.

“Why?” the Tiki dolls asked.

“Granny and Evergreen have to sleep in their own room, right?”

“Why?” ‘Babies’ asked confused. “We like Granny and Ever.”

“It is not appropriate”, Roscoe huffed.

“Oh, you’re more bashful than I thought”, Ever chuckled looking at the guard, making him blush slightly. “Of course we have to all share the same room.”

“No we don’t”, Laxus said before things would get out of hands. “There are no rooms big enough in the Guild Hall other than the infirmary and we can’t go there in case an emergency happens. We can sleep in pairs, me and Freed, Bickslow and Roscoe, Madam and Ever. Gramps can sleep in his office, he already sleeps there during days anyway”, he said and Roscoe seemed a little bit relieved.

“Now you ruined my fun”, Ever whined to Laxus.

“Sorry not sorry.”

After they had packed everything they needed, the returned back to the Guild and ate some dinner. After that they retreated to their rooms. Freed smiled when reading a book he had brought from the library, while sitting on their bed.

“What book it is that you’re smiling that much?” Laxus asked slumping next to his fiancé after taking a shower and he looked at the book.

“Well, Levy told me that she had looked for some books that she reads for her baby”, Freed explained shifting a page. “I thought maybe I should read this one out loud.”

“Why would you read it since the baby is not even born yet?” Laxus asked confused, leaning against the pillows.

“They say that even though obviously the baby can’t understand what I’m reading, it can still hear what happens around so reading something with calm voice can make him recognize our voices when born. And it is said to help babies to learn speak faster and make them curious to learn more. I also think it would be fun bonding between all three of us”, Freed smiled. “Something we could do together before going to sleep.”

“I see”, Laxus murmured looking at the round belly. He wasn’t sure if he could believe all that if he was honest, but if it would make Freed happy then there couldn’t be any harm in it. “So what are you going to read now?”

“Magnolia’s history.”

“What? No, he doesn’t wanna hear something boring like that”, Laxus huffed sitting up.

“Boring? I disagree, I think Magnolia has a very interesting history how it was build and became such a town as it is now. I also wanted to read him about Fairy Tail’s history as well.”

“Yeah, of course he’s gonna learn all about that”, Laxus said. “But you’re not seriously gonna read some school books for him even before he is born?”

“So what do you suggest we read?” Freed asked putting the book down.

“Of course we tell him about our adventures”, Laxus smirked. “What monsters we have fought off and stuff. And we can read adventure books also, about lost islands and towns on the clouds and legends about strong wizards that have lived long ago. _That_ is the kind of stories he wants to hear.”

“I see”, Freed chuckled. “So what do you want to tell him first?”

“Of course about the day when you came to the Guild”, Laxus smirked and Freed blushed slightly.

“I didn’t know you even noticed me then”, he muttered.

“Well… Maybe not right away but whatever. Bicks told me there was a new boy in the Guild and I got curious. I remember wondering how strong you might be, since we had been talking about getting another team member but wasn’t yet sure about it. I’m glad Gramps solved that for us by asking you to join our team. And I noticed those lightning bolt thingies in your head at first, they were a lot smaller then”, Laxus grinned touching the other cowlick on the side of Freed’s head. “I actually wondered for days if they were natural or did you somehow put them up with magic or something.”

“I know many have wondered that same thing, but hardly no-one dares to ask”, Freed laughed. “And if I tell they are natural, they still don’t seem to believe it.”

“You have to admit it, they are kinda odd.”

“I guess. But it’s not like your own hair is perfectly normal”, Freed smirked ruffling the spiky blond hair. “Even that cute little tuft on your forehead”, he smiled combing Laxus’ hair with his long fingers, but that stubborn little tuft sprang right back the second he let go of it.

“Of course my hair is like this, I’m the Thunder God, ain’t I?” Laxus chuckled flexing his arm muscles.

“Yes you are”, Freed smiled. “And the lightning dragon slayer. As your soulmate, isn’t it only natural then for me to have hair like this?”

“I like that idea”, Laxus smirked brushing green hair aside from Freed’s face. “In my head it makes total sense”, he said kissing Freed softly. Freed smiled to the kiss and pulled his arms around Laxus’ broad shoulders, deepening the kiss. For a moment everything felt normal again. Laxus felt again like himself and Freed was more than happy about it.

Laxus smirked when they pulled apart.

“You think that was enough of a bedtime story for him?” he asked.

“No-one said those stories have to be long”, Freed grinned.

“Good, ‘cause I think I wanna talk with mama alone now.”

“You idiot”, Freed huffed hitting Laxus’ face with a pillow, hearing a small chuckle. “Just so you know, that is not sexy at all, it’s just creepy.”

“Yeah, it didn’t sound that good”, Laxus nodded.

“I think I’ll just go to sleep now”, Freed huffed pulling the blanket over him.

“It wasn’t that bad”, Laxus said. “I won’t say it again.”

“You already ruined the moment.”

Laxus looked at the rune mage and smiled, settling down behind him and wrapped his arms around the smaller man.

“I love you, babe”, he whispered to his ear, making Freed shiver and he grinned.

“Leave me alone, Laxus”, the swordsman murmured.

“I think you’re a strong and wise man, Freed. Not only that, you are doing something really wonderful for both of us and I can only admire it”, Laxus purred softly, touching the round belly gently and Freed had to chuckle slightly. Okay, Laxus could be really sweet when he wanted.

“I love you too, Laxus”, he smiled turning around and kissed his Thunder God. “But we need some sleep, you know?”

”Really?” Laxus pouted.

”Yes. And no matter how you think about it, these rooms do not have that thick walls so it wouldn’t be really comfortable if others could hear us.”

“Yeah, you tend to get too loud.”

Freed huffed and smacked Laxus’ shoulder with his fist and pulled the cover over him again, making the lightning dragon slayer only laugh. But he smiled when Laxus pulled him closer and it was now warm and cosy.

 

It was still dark when Freed shivered and woke up, snuggling tightly against Laxus to get some more warmth. He heard him snoring and he smiled, Laxus was actually sleeping deeply like he should and was relaxing. It was really good. He had been so worried because the blond man had been so tense lately.

Freed shivered again and rubbed his eyes. He wanted to sleep more but it was so cold in the room. No matter if Laxus was sleeping just beside him, he needed another blanket. He yawned and sat up slowly, only to see two pairs of hollow eyes staring at them. Freed’s heart almost stopped and he shouted out loud, but that didn’t make the two demons even flinch.

“Laxus”, the rune mage said quickly and he shook the sleeping dragon slayer, but without any results. “Laxus!” Freed yelled worried. No reaction. Laxus was sleeping like a log, completely unaware what was happening around him.

Freed looked back to Moranga and Jish-Ahrna, feeling his body trembling but his stare was harsh. If Laxus was sleeping then that meant Makarov and others must be deep asleep as well.

“Why are you here?” the rune mage snarled dangerously getting up from the bed and he grabbed his sword unsheathing it.

Both demons tilted their heads at the same time but there was no answer. Freed stared them back, ready to hit with his sword at any second if necessary. With his other hand he drew some runes but hissed when the letters disappeared right away. He should have seen it coming.

Claws scratched the floor as Jish-Ahrna slowly turned and moved towards the door, while Moranga stayed still. Long and slim arm reached out and big claws took Freed’s black coat from the rack, then the demon turned back and reached out the coat towards Freed.

“You want me to go with you?” Freed asked slowly, not yet lowering his sword. He heard whispers that almost made sense but still didn’t. “And Laxus?”

Jish-Ahrna moved his head to look at the sleeping man. Then it raised its other hand and touched the big, furry-lined coat and let it drop at the floor from the rack.

“So Laxus stays?” Freed asked and was greeted with whispers again. “I don’t think so.”

Moranga straightened its head this time and the odd cape it was wearing started moving. The whole room was suddenly trembling and those few paintings there were dropped from the walls. Freed looked around and the window crashed when its frame got crooked, few planks popped up from the floor with loud bangs and he could hear piercing metallic screech when the rack bended from three spots.

He gasped when the bed moved as it was slowly starting to bend from the middle.

“Stop!” Freed yelled before nothing more happened. Moranga stood still, but its cape stopped moving. “I get it, if I don’t come then you will harm Laxus and the others in this Guild.”

Nothing happened so he took it as a sign that he had guessed right. Freed sighed and lowered his sword. He couldn’t take the risk. If everyone really were asleep...

“I understand, I will come”, he finally said and foisted the sword back to its scabbard. He could guess that he was not allowed to take it with him, so he placed it to lean against the bed before he took his clothes he had neatly folded on the chair and changed behind the screen.

After that he took his coat from Jish-Ahrna. He looked at the bed where Laxus was still sleeping, knowing nothing at all what was happening.

“I’m sorry, Laxus”, Freed murmured sadly. Then he straightened himself and looked at the demon duo. “So where are we going?” he asked frowning.

Taller demon with claws opened the door and stepped outside, while Moranga waited patiently that Freed stepped outside before it followed. In the hallway Freed’s eyes widened.

“Makarov!” he gasped looking at the old man lying on the floor. Was he dead? Did he try to attack Moranga and Jish-Ahrna by himself?

Freed sighed relieved when he suddenly heard loud snore and some muttering. Something about bikinis that covered too much or similar. Jish-Ahrna stepped forward and looked almost curiously at the old man, before it reached out his hands and for a second Freed was sure this was the end of their old Master.

But instead Jish-Ahrna lifted Makarov up and seated him on the couch that was in the hallway. Then it continued towards the stairs and Freed blinked. Why...?

The rune mage glanced towards Moranga who did nothing, just standing behind him and waiting for him to follow the other demon. Freed stepped ahead, looked at Makarov who kept snoring while muttering something and he sighed.

They arrived at the stairs and stepped down to the Hall. There, in front of the open doors was another figure. Tall, slim man who Freed recognized very well. He might be old as everyone could see because of the silver hair that still had some of the green colour in it, but those years were not visible on how his stand. Long dark blue coat was neatly buttoned up, white ascot tie had a bright green jewel pin in it, black boots shined like they were brand new and had never seen mud. His hair was shorter than Freed’s, but his lightning bolt cowlicks were bigger, their long tips pointing down, crossed behind his back like silver scythes with green shine in them.

Freed gritted his teeth but followed Jish-Ahrna all the way through the Hall and stopped in front of his grandfather, whose turquoise eyes calmly answered to his own harsh glare.

“You’ve grown up”, Lucados said.

“It has been many years already”, Freed muttered. “So you finally came to Magnolia yourself, not just sending one of your demons after us.”

“Yes. At first I did intend to come earlier, but I decided to give you a little more time. Now we can go back home.”

“No”, Freed said. “Undo your sleeping spell.”

“I have no reason to do that.”

“You have no idea what kind of a war you are going to start if you keep going on like this”, Freed warned. “You will make the whole Fairy Tail your enemy! You can’t even imagine how powerful mages we have in our Guild!”

Lucados narrowed his sharp eyes and no matter how much he fought back, Freed’s whole body froze under that cold glare he had learned to fear ever since he was just a small kid. That stare held the true power to silence anyone and to make think twice if it was wise to make any move.

“There is nothing more to discuss about this. Zaldevils stick together, that is the rule. We won’t let our line end and the contract with demons to repeal. This family will grow strong again.”

“Most people don’t even remember Zaldevils anymore”, Freed said.

“That is why our future lies on your and your child’s shoulders. Would you decline your future as the next king if you were born in the royal family?”

“We are not royalty!” Freed shouted. “Zaldevils are nothing like that!”

He huffed gritting his teeth.

“If it were only me right now... I probably would follow you and return, only because I know your life wont last forever and when I would be the next Master of the family, I could change things.”

“The Old Contract is solid and unbreakable, you are well aware of it.”

“But it doesn’t say that every possibility has to be done so there will be a new Master. I could be the Master of Zaldevil family, the last one because I wouldn’t let anyone set their foot in to that chamber ever again. I wouldn’t teach anything about the rituals to anyone. I would use my most powerful runes to seal that chamber so not even a mouse could slip through those damned doors!”

“Your magic is strong all thanks to the Old Contract. Without it, you wouldn’t held even the third of the power you have right now.”

“I would be just fine with that. I don’t need to fight alone. I have Laxus and everyone else here to stand beside me if I ever need help”, Freed assured. “Big or small, young or old, strong or not, no matter how different we are it doesn’t matter because our Guild Mark reminds us that we are still all the same inside. Zaldevils don’t work like that. Those who have had demons inside them have always been favoured over the others.”

“Do not question our rules, son. Zaldevils will follow the rules no matter what”, Lucados said with a small frown that made Moranga and Jish-Ahrna crouch slightly. Freed looked at them when noticing the movement. It was almost like they were both scared of their Master.

“Why are they afraid?” he asked looking back to his grandfather.

“They know who is the Master here. You had such a hard time with Absolute Shadow because you let him walk over you just like that.”

“He wouldn’t work with me even today if I would have tried to force him to be my underling. He would have only fought back more. That is not a good bond between you and those two.”

He could see it now. While both were obviously still strong demons, they weren’t like Valdeghar. Jish-Ahrna truly looked like just a weak whisper from the past with his dried up body and even though Moranga could modify what he wanted, he had no characteristics of his own. And neither of them had never said a word, Freed noticed. At least not for them.

It was actually really sad. 

“This conversation is pointless”, Lucados stated and he turned around. “We will go home now”, he said.

“As I said, if it was only me then I would follow my plan how to nullify the Old Contract, but I can’t. I won’t let you ruin our son’s life”, Freed snarled. “This is our home.”

“Your mother was just as hard headed as you are”, Lucados muttered. “With her I did the mistake not being strict enough and I don’t like repeating my mistakes. So I have arranged something that might change your mind in case you decided not to follow my words. You might want to come see it yourself.”

Freed stared at the old man who calmly stepped outside the Guild Hall and stopped. With caution, Freed followed outside and looked around.

The air all around the town was filled with like a diamond dust, glittering and slowly moving around.

“What is it?” the rune mage asked.

“With my spell I put the whole town asleep”, Lucados said and Freed’s eyes widened. “It is up to you if they will wake up tomorrow or when my magic finally disappears along with me. Who knows how long that might still take. Are you ready to steal all those years from them because of your foolish actions?”

Freed couldn’t even find the words anymore. He could hardly believe all this was actually happening. Part of him was deeply wishing that this all was just a bad dream and soon he would wake up beside Laxus.

The cruel truth was that this was not a dream. Freed really,  _really_ wanted to protect their son from all of this, but... He just didn’t have a choice.

“I think we have an agreement with this”, Lucados said after a short silence between them. “Then we will go”, he decided and gently he moved his hand and fingers.

The odd dust gathered in front of them, creating a glimmering carpet with beautiful tiny details and shimmering orbs hanging from its every corner. It fluttered in the air and Lucados sat on it, looking at the two demons who were waiting what was their next order.

“You may go”, the old man said and just like that both Moranga and Jish-Ahrna disappeared quickly. “Sit”, Lucados said to Freed, who looked at the carpet and finally sat on it. It was big enough for both of them and Freed was glad there were spare space so he didn’t need to sit at the edge.

The flying carpet from dreams flew up and Freed looked at snowy Magnolia that was still covered by the dust.

“What about waking up the town?” he asked.

“They will wake up”, Lucados assured just looking ahead. “Eventually.”

 


	68. Chapter 68

Magnolia was sleeping peacefully, not aware of the time that moved forward. Before anyone even noticed, a whole month had passed with New Years come and gone. The town itself was sleeping and there wasn’t even a mouse walking on the streets, but outside the town there were already lots of people wondering about the situation and trying to come up with how to remove that glittering dust that made everyone fall asleep in a second they tried to enter the town.

In one day the warm breeze from the south brought them mild temperatures and dark clouds formed in the sky, starting to rain and slowly melt the snow. The rain cleaned the air and get rid of the dust that had been covering the whole town this whole time.

Porlyusica frowned when looking at this all. She had been wondering why Levy and Freed hadn’t come to see her like they should, so she had came to the town. Of course she wasn’t worried or anything, only annoyed that’s all. Luckily she had noticed the travellers that had collapsed at the streets near the entrance.

She huffed when she heard murmuring around her, everyone wondering if there would be anyone alive in the town anymore. Idiots. Of course they were alive. If they had been paying even a little bit attention to those near the gates over the weeks, it seemed like cold, snow, or time itself didn’t affect anyone under that sleeping spell. There was no hunger, no dehydration, nothing. They were just sleeping.

None of them took yet the first steps inside the town. Not before they saw movement when those in front of the gates started to wake up. Porlyusica dashed forward immediately when the air was safe again in the town. She ran past the streets, saw how here and there people had come out of their houses and were wondering what had happened. 

The old healer kept running towards the Guild. She had a hunch who was behind all of this. But why would that man suddenly appear after decades and why did he attack Magnolia? She was pretty sure that old pervert with a moustache knew something about this.

Porlyusica stopped when the air crackled just when she was about to arrive at the Guild House. Tiny sparks appeared here and there and suddenly the air was filled with piercing thundering roar. In the next second the roof of the Guild House was blasted as something light yellow escaped from inside towards the now thundering clouds.

“Laxus...” Porlyusica muttered frowning. Something was really wrong. Quickly she went inside and looked around.

Makarov woke up when he heard the roar and he looked around. What was going on? The other doors opened quickly and Bickslow, Roscoe, Evergreen, Roxanne and Kvestor all stepped in the hallway.

“What was that?” Kvestor asked nervously straightening his pointy hat.

“I don’t know”, Makarov said hopping down from the bench. “I just woke up myself because of it.

“Is everyone here?” Ever asked stepping quickly at the door that had remained shut and she opened it. “Laxus and Freed aren’t here”, she said looking at others.

“It is not hard to guess then that the source of that howling is Laxus”, Bickslow said sweating.

“Laxus is mad!” ‘babies’ whimpered, hiding under Bickslow’s cape.

“So where is Freed?” Ever asked worried.

“Calm down”, Makarov said. “We will figure everything out.”

“There you are!” they suddenly heard annoyed voice and looked at Porlyusica who stepped up the stairs. “What the hell have you been doing here?!” the pink haired woman yelled furious.

“To be honest, we don’t even know ourselves”, Bickslow shrugged.

“What has happened, Porlyusica?” Makarov asked from the healer.

“How should I know, you’re the ones that has been sleeping for over a month!” Porlyusica snapped annoyed and they all froze.

“A month?” Roscoe asked. “How is that possible?”

“Dreamcatcher”, Makarov grunted frowning.

“That was my thought exactly”, Porlyusica said crossing her arms. “But why is that sandman attacking Magnolia?”

“We can talk about that later, is everyone alright? We need to gather everyone here right away”, Makarov said.

“I’m not that sure we can get Laxus to come back”, Bicks said when loud thunder echoed from outside. “I’m guessing we’re gonna need Warren so we can get him to hear us.”

In the next hour they contacted all members of Fairy Tail and they gathered in the Guild House. Laxus was still roaming outside, furious and uncontrollable, trying to find even a scent of his mate desperately. 

At first they made sure everyone was okay. It seemed like time hasn’t affected anyone in the town and all of them were confused when they heard how long they had been sleeping. Porlyusica of course examined Levy first and was relieved to notice everything was fine. After that had been confirmed, they moved on talking about what had actually happened.

While Makarov told others about Lucados the Dreamcatcher, Bickslow snatched Warren’s collar.

“You’re coming with us, baby”, he grinned.

“W-where?!” Warren asked confused as Evergreen spread her wings.

“We need to talk with Laxus but we can’t go too close so you have to reach him with your magic for us”, Bicks cackled lifting the smaller mage on his back and stepped on top of the Tiki dolls who giggled.

“W-what?! No, no I don’t want to go up there!” Warren shrieked trying to squirm out of the seith mage’s grasp.

“Shut up you big chicken, I’m not gonna drop you. At least not from too high...” Bicks snickered as they hovered up from the ground.

“Warren is scared of highs!” ‘babies’ mocked.

“No, I’m scared of falling down just like any normal person!” Warren yelled and now he clung on Bickslow, face white as a sheet as they flew out from the Guild House.

“Stop tugging and strangling me!” Bicks grunted when Warren grasped his blue and black hair and almost made him drop his visor. “We’re both gonna fall!”

“If we’re not going to fall, then Laxus will roast us”, Warren wailed only tightening his grasp around Bickslow and ‘babies’ were laughing even more at them.

“We don’t need to get that close”, Ever chuckled as they flew towards the mountains where they could see most of the lightnings. “Just close enough so you can reach him.”

“I can reach him from here just fine!”

“But that’s not as fun as going there”, Bickslow cackled.

They flew over the big forest and when lightning started to strike too close, they landed at one of the ledges in the mountains.

“You can let go of me baby, we’re at the ground”, Bickslow assured when stepping off from the Tiki dolls who giggled as they looked at terrified Warren.

“Shoo! Shoo!” they said to the telepathy mage. “No hanky-panky!”

“Please don’t kidnap me like that ever again...” Warren sighed relieved, almost crashing straight against the stone wall because his legs felt like jelly.

“Sorry. But now I can see Laxus!” Bickslow grinned looking at the dark clouds. “Holy shit!” he said his grin quickly fading from his face.

“ _Yikes_!” they heard Warren’s thoughts.

“Laxus!” Ever gasped shivering.

They had never seen the Thunder God like that. Air crackled around him, lightning forming pair of wings and long tail, his blond hair long like a spiky mane.

“He’s turning into a dragon!” Ever yelled worried. “Do something!” she commanded shaking Warren by his collar.

“W-what can I do?!” the poor man stuttered.

“Laxus!” Bickslow shouted in Warren’s ear. “Laxus! Can you hear me!”

“Please don’t shout! He can hear you!” Warren whined.

Laxus stopped in the middle air, turning his head and finally noticed them far on the ground.

“Calm down, buddy! We can find Freed together!” Bickslow yelled.

“We’re here to help you!” Ever assured, shouting on Warren’s other ear.

“Why everybody thinks they have to yell...” Warren whimpered.

“We know where Freed is!” Bickslow said. “We can go find him together!”

“Please just calm down, Laxus!” Ever pleaded.

For a moment Laxus stared at them with his burning orange eyes. Lightning struck and all three of them fell on the ground when suddenly the big lightning dragon slayer stood in front of them, mane emitting sparks and lightning wings waving in the air. Strong claws formed by electricity burned the ground under him.

Growl escaped deep from his chest when none of them said even a word.

“Y-yeah, we know where he is”, Bickslow finally found his voice and stood up with Ever, ‘babies’ trembling under his cape. “Or… We are almost hundred percent sure where he is...”

Another growl, this time through bared canine teeth made them flinch.

“No no, we are sure we know where he is!” Ever quickly corrected. “But we just don’t know the exact location.”

“But we will find it out”, Bickslow assured. “Don’t worry, baby. We will help you, we are worried about Freed too.”

“Where is he?” Laxus snarled stepping closer and claws shattered parts of the cliff.

“Lucados, it must be him”, Ever said. “We’ve been sleeping over a month! He made us all fall asleep – the whole town! - and took Freed with him then.”

Laxus’ nose creased.

“I’m gonna kill him”, he growled with terrifyingly serious tone.

Before they could say anything more, dazzling light blinded them and in the next second Laxus was gone already.

“Oh shit! _Oh shit_!” Bickslow cried out loud. “This is _bad_!”

“We have to go after him before he really does something”, Ever decided opening her wings again. “I want to hurt that old bastard just as much but we can’t actually let Laxus kill him!”

“Yeah! We have to do something”, the seith mage nodded hopping on his dolls again and they got up in the air.

“Guys! What about me?!” Warren shouted after them finally getting on his feet.

“You run back to Magnolia and tell the others!” Ever ordered.

“Are you just _leaving_ me here on this cliff?!”

“You didn’t want us to kidnap you again”, Bickslow snickered.

“Too-da-loo!” Pippi giggled and flew after the others.

 


	69. Chapter 69

Freed woke up in the morning and for a moment he just laid on his big bed, trying to overcome the morning sickness. It felt horrible. He didn’t have the tea Porlyusica had prepared so there was no other way than just wait until he would feel better. After a while he finally was able to get up and he took a shower, it helped a lot and after that he took the clothes that had been prepared for him.

For the first thing after dressing up he opened the drawer from his night stand. He used his runes to keep it locked while he still could, his magic was getting more unstable but he still managed to use it.

He sat down on the big couch with a huff, leaning against the pillows and took out a diary he had been writing every single day since he came back. With that he made sure he wouldn’t forget anything because of Lucados’ magic.

“I see you’re ready to conquer the world first thing in the morning”, Freed chuckled as he felt movement. Felix had really started to move around lately. It was so sad that Laxus couldn’t be here to feel it too.

But he was sure Laxus would come up with something. He had absolute trust towards his fiancé and friends, as well as the whole Guild. He had nothing to worry about, they would come here when they could. Until then he just needed to do his best and focus on Felix.

“Hm? Already too tired?” Freed smiled when movements stopped. “That’s alright, you can try again later”, he assured and opened his book.

He started to read what he had wrote yesterday and again he noticed he hadn’t forgotten even one thing. That was almost odd. He was so sure Lucados would make him forget things but until now he remembered everything he had written down on his diary.

Freed put the book back and sealed the drawer with his runes and stood up. He stepped out his old bedroom and looked out from the big windows in the hallway. It had started to rain. Spring was slowly coming closer every day, even though it was slightly too early for that.

Freed continued his journey through big hallways that were filled with old paintings. He looked at his ancestors, how most of them had green hair but some of them had white hair and red hair, it all depended if they had demon powers. Those who didn’t have, had smaller paintings and Freed huffed. Zaldevils had always favoured those with demon powers over the others.

He arrived at the dining room where Lucados already was. He had eaten and was now drinking tea and reading the newspaper. Servants prepared a new set of plate and cutlery when Freed sat down.

“Good morning”, he said.

“Morning”, Lucados said not putting down the paper. “So you decided to join me in the dinner.”

“Yes”, Freed muttered.

“That is good. Most people think that pregnancy is somehow a permission to slack around. So how are you feeling today?”

“Sick”, Freed said and started to eat when he got his food.

“You will overcome it, I’m sure of it”, Lucados murmured flipping the page. “It seems the winter is ending early this year.”

“So it seems”, Freed said rolling his eyes. “What are you planning to do today?” he asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, maybe so we have something else to talk about than weather. Are you going to train today?”

“Yes, I thought you noticed it already that I do it every single day. And I’m expecting you to do the same after the baby is born. We are not some lazy weak folk, Freed. We will always do our best so our family is strong.”

“I have heard that before...” Freed muttered.

He thought about it some more.

“Actually, could you maybe teach me something?” he dared to ask and now Lucados lifted his gaze from the newspaper.

“Teach you?” he asked surprised. “You never ask me to teach you anything.”

“I know, but I am interested how Moranga and Jish-Ahrna don’t need to use your body but they can have figures of their own. I was hoping I could learn to do that with Umanor and Valdeghar.”

“That is not something you can learn just like that”, Lucados said putting his paper away. “And it won’t happen if you don’t have unquestioning authority over your demons.”

“I told you already, we don’t work like that”, Freed frowned. “Our bond is strong and we trust each other. I’m sure we could do that.”

“I doubt that, but you can always try. You can’t do actual training but I can teach you the theory.”

“Speaking about Moranga and Jish-Ahrna, where are they?”

“They are guarding the mansion. Just in case someone really tries to barge in. So eat up, son. If I’m going to teach you then we better start.”

 

“No! We have to go to east!”

“No! To the north!”

“East!”

“North!”

That had been going on for a while as Bickslow and Evergreen were trying to find Laxus. They had followed the thunderclouds for this long but finally they had lost them from their sight. They had no idea where Laxus might be.

“Freed would definitely know what we should do next!” Bickslow yelled annoyed as they were standing on a road.

“Well, Freed isn’t here and neither is Laxus so we just need to figure things out by ourselves”, Ever said. “We should go to east.”

“Why there?”

“The nearest town is in that direction, we should ask people if they know where Zaldevil’s Mansion is”, Ever explained.

“Oh, that is actually a really good idea, baby.”

“I know, you should listen to me more you dumbass. Laxus must be asking around as well, I don’t believe he knows where that mansion is.”

“Hey, do you think Dubois might know something?” Bickslow asked. “That butler from Freed’s mansion?”

“It’s worth to try it”, Ever huffed. “Might as well go there then”, she said and spread her wings.

It took time to fly to the mansion and it was already past noon, but they finally landed in front of the big doors.

“Oh my...” Ever gasped as she saw how the ground had burned from here and there. “I bet Laxus had the same idea as we did.”

“Yeah”, Bicks nodded and they stepped inside.

Dubois was just about to open the door for them and the chubby butler wiped some sweat from his face.

“Hey, Dubois”, Bickslow said. “You look like something really scared you.”

“I am really happy to see you here, Mr. Bickslow, miss Evergreen”, Dubois said. “Really happy. And yes, you can’t even believe what happened here.”

“Did Laxus perhaps came here?” Ever asked. “We need to find him.”

“He indeed did visit us, maybe an hour earlier. Oh it was so scary! It was like a real life dragon had appeared and as you can see, his lightning burned the ground and the house.”

“Yeah we noticed. What did he say? Did he ask directions?”

“Yes actually. He wanted to know where Zaldevil’s Mansion is.”

“We need to know that too!” Bickslow said quickly. “It is really important, baby. Do you know where it is?” 

“It is not that far from here, actually”, Dubois said and that surprised Bickslow and Evergreen. “Mr. Dreyar left right away when we gave him directions, but you might still catch up with him.”

“I’m sure, Laxus isn’t really good with directions no matter what”, Bickslow snorted. “So where is that mansion?”

Dubois wrote the directions down and they started to move right away. It would take maybe an hour or two before they would arrive if they were really quick.

“Please, Laxus, do not do anything stupid before we find you”, Ever whispered when the wind whistled in her ears. 

 

Laxus landed on the cliff and looked around. This area didn’t seem like the one Dubois had described. How hard could it be to find one god damn mansion?! He was trying to find Freed’s scent but he didn’t find anything. Why couldn’t there be easier way to find that mansion?

He growled and flew up again, heading to the other direction this time. He would find that mansion eventually if he just kept looking. He would find Freed and bring him back home with him. If he had to, he would destroy that whole mansion into tiny pieces and make sure Lucados would never again disturb their peaceful life.

 


	70. Chapter 70

Freed noticed the change in the weather while they were at the garden under the roof, where Lucados was explaining how to call Valdeghar or Umanor with their own bodies. He didn’t hear thunders but he could almost feel them in the air. Rain had stopped and the air got tingling. It made him smile immediately.

Laxus!

Of course he was also worried, since he could guess that Laxus was pissed as hell right now. Would he let his dragon side take over? What if he couldn’t return back to normal?

“So he really came”, Lucados murmured narrowing his eyes. “How foolish.”

“This is your last chance to make up things”, Freed said looking at his grandfather. “Because when Laxus finds his way here in the mansion, he won’t forgive you anymore. He will end things once and for all.”

“So will I”, Lucados said. “Some young brat who pretends to be a dragon won’t surpass me. Zaldevils will never give up.”

“You don’t know how powerful he is”, Freed warned. “He and the others. I’m sure Laxus is not alone.”

“Whatever, I don’t care if that whole Guild tries to take me down”, Lucados huffed. “Moranga and Jish-Ahrna will make sure they have no chance to get to the mansion. Let’s go inside.”

“You don’t understand what kind of a mess you’re causing”, Freed tried to explain. “Laxus is _angry_! He has won many powerful mages before!” he said and jolted when strong hand grabbed his collar, pulling him closer.

“ _I_ have won many powerful mages before”, Lucados grumbled his other eye glowing like it was filled with diamond dust. “Don’t you underestimate me, son. You’re acting like a scared little brat. They are our enemies and if they attack, we will fight! If you’re not going to fight, you will stay inside out of my way.”

Freed opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what he should say. He wanted Lucados to understand and give up. But then again he wanted Laxus to make sure he would never again try anything like this. He trusted that Laxus would win this fight.

Lucados grunted something and pulled Freed along with him inside the mansion.

“Keep an eye on him”, the Earl said to the guards. “Take him to the Chamber. That is the most secure place in this mansion and not even that dragon what so ever can break in there. Only those who belong to our family can get in.”

Freed said nothing, as he followed the guards to the stairs. He should do something. He should study that Chamber how much he could and see if there was anything at all that he could do.

“You should evacuate everyone from this mansion”, he told to the guards. “There is going to be a massive fight and nobody is safe here then.”

He stopped in front of the huge stone doors and looked at the guards who seemed worried.

“Just make sure the staff will be alright”, Freed said. “Grandfather isn’t thinking clearly, he doesn’t know what kind of a destruction there will be and if he really wants to fight then be it. But you shouldn’t get in danger because he’s just an old man who can’t let things go.”

 

Bickslow and Evergreen flew past the big dark forest and now there were black thunderclouds all around them again.

“Laxus must be here somewhere”, Ever said. “If we can’t stop him from attacking Lucados, we then have to assist him and that way make sure he won’t really kill anyone.”

“Yeah”, Bickslow said. “But it won’t be easy. How can we really attack that man? I mean, he made the whole town fall asleep! And he has demons like Freed! And unlike Freed, he doesn’t need to use his own body to draw them out!”

“I know all of that!” Ever hissed looking at the seith mage. “That is not helping! We just... I don’t know, we just need to think something when we find Laxus, okay? Freed can’t help us so we have to do our best so we can help him now!”

“Yeah, I know”, Bickslow nodded. “Sorry. I’m just so god damn frustrated! Why did Laxus just run away like that and didn’t wait for us?”

“He wants to get Freed back home and safe just like us”, Ever said looking around. “He can’t help it. Oh!” she said when she saw something shining between the clouds. “That must be Laxus!”

“We actually found him!” Bickslow grinned. “Okay, now what do we do, baby?”

“I don’t know! Maybe we should try to talk to him? He’s clearly trying to find that mansion as well.”

“You’re right”, Bickslow nodded and they flew up.

As they got closer they saw someone else as well.

“Isn’t that...?” Ever gasped.

“Jish-Ahrna”, Bickslow growled when they recognized the demon.

It was hovering in front of Laxus and both of them just stared at each other.

“Laxus!” Ever shouted as they got closer and the dragon slayer turned his head. “We can help!”

Laxus said nothing, looking back at the demon who seemed surprised because of the sudden reinforcement.

“If that thing is here, that means the mansion is not far”, Bickslow grinned as they flew beside the thundering dragon slayer. “We will get there, baby. And we will get Freed back.”

“What about Fairy Tail?” Laxus asked.

“Eh? Uhm... Well... We might have left so quickly that we left Warren take care of telling the others where we went. And... Uh... Since even we didn’t know yet where this place was, it is highly possible they have no idea where to come...” Bickslow noticed.

“I see”, Laxus grumbled still staring at Jish-Ahrna. “So it is possible they might not come in time.”

“Sorry, baby.”

“Whatever, can’t help it now.”

“We will win”, Ever smiled confident. “We have been through so much already and every single fight has made us stronger and stronger.”

“Yeah! This is the perfect time to see just how much all that training has paid off”, Bickslow smirked.

“Can you guys take care of the demons?” Laxus asked.

“Yes!” both Bickslow and Evergreen shouted.

“You just take care of that old goat, Laxus”, Ever smiled. “We will handle those guards.”

“Alright”, Laxus smirked looking at the demon who tilted its head. “I’m counting on you, guys”, he said and with flash he disappeared in the clouds.

Evergreen smiled looking at the demon who glanced around confused when the bright yellow one was suddenly missing.

“Let’s do this”, she said and Bickslow nodded.

They both dashed forward, when suddenly everything around them fluttered and the landscape changed colours from dark red to light blue and completely black and white, repeating that same pattern over and over.

“W-what?” Bickslow stuttered when suddenly it felt like everything was upside down, trees seemed like they ripped themselves off from the earth and floated around. The nearby mountains looked like it was melting, spreading all around in the sky and mixing up with dark clouds.

They heard an eerie howl as trees started to bend and flew around.

“It must be that other demon, Moranga”, Ever noticed. “Didn’t he use surrealism magic or something like that?”

“Yeah! Valdeghar mentioned him. That’s going to be pain in the ass”, Bickslow grunted. “I’m not even sure where the ground is anymore!”

Suddenly he felt someone’s presence and he saw tall, sheet covered demon with hollow eyes staring at him.

“Oh fu-!” he yelled and in the next second he was already shoved through the air, hitting trees and finally crashing on the ground.

“Bickslow!” Ever gasped, but her vision was suddenly covered by thick fog. She hissed when tingling coldness attacked her limbs and when she opened her eyes, she saw large paw-like hand with its long claws reaching towards her.

She was shoved at the other direction than Bickslow and hit the ground harshly. For a moment her whole left side was numb because of the strong hit, but finally she was able to get up. The forest was like from nightmares, everything was moving around, changing colours, melting into different shapes and so on.

Was Bickslow okay? Yes, of course he was. She must have faith. Bickslow would not give up that easily.

Jish-Ahrna whispered something as it hovered down on the ground and Ever frowned. She would take care of this one. Bickslow would take care of Moranga. They had to do it so Laxus could concentrate fighting with Lucados.

 

Freed stepped inside the Chamber and looked around. It was really plain chamber actually, but there were some carvings in the stone walls. There were also some texts, mostly about the rituals. This was the first time he was inside the Chamber since he was just a little baby. He was a little bit worried because of Felix, but he was pretty sure demons couldn’t enter him since he wasn’t born yet. His body was still shielding his son and he was glad about it.

He reached out his hand and touched those walls, but he knew immediately he couldn’t break this stone. Everything inside the chamber was strengthened by old demon magic that wasn’t easy to break.

Freed frowned when looking at the end of the chamber, where there were a glowing orb. Was it some kind of a lacrima? If so, it was an old one and very powerful. It was attached in the wall and he observed it carefully, not touching its surface. It was slightly bigger than his head and it looked like there were a whole night sky trapped inside it.

The rune mage looked back at the walls. If he could transfer these texts, he might be able to learn more about how the Old Contract was created and maybe how they could nullify it. That would of course mean losing Valdeghar and Umanor, but it would also free Jish-Ahrna and Moranga. Felix wouldn’t be in danger as well anymore after that.

Freed opened the big doors and glimpsed in the hallway. He did not see the guards. That was good, they had followed his instructions to evacuate the staff. He stepped in the hallway and quickly headed towards the library. He needed some books if he wanted to translate those texts.

 


	71. Chapter 71

Bickslow quickly flew out of the way with his dolls when four trees flew at his direction and they crashed heavily to the ground. He had been hit with rocks and mud and almost everything you could find from forest and it felt almost impossible to even approach the demon that was now standing on top of the big boulder

“Would you stop throwing stuff at me?!” he yelled annoyed, when Moranga just stayed on its spot. “Come on! Don’t just stand there without saying a thing, it’s really creepy. It is good manners to at least tell what moves you’re gonna use!” he scolded.

Moranga tilted its head, almost looking curious and Bickslow huffed stepping back on the ground.

“He’s odd”, Pippi announced hovering next to Bickslow.

“I know, baby.”

“Why do we name our moves?” Peppe asked.

“I don’t know, we just do. But we have to defeat him so we can go help Ever and then Laxus and Freed. You aren’t tired yet, are you?”

“No! We can fight!” all five Tiki dolls assured with confidence and Bickslow grinned.

“Alright, let’s wrap this up quickly then, babies. You know what to do.”

“Yes!” ‘babies’ laughed and with green flash they took their other forms. Moranga seemed to flinch when suddenly there were more foes against it.

Bickslow smirked.

“I was hoping that Loke would be the first one who I would defeat with this, but I guess I have no choice but to settle with you”, the seith mage grinned deviously and ‘babies’ snickered. “Soul Cape: Puppu”, Bickslow said his eyes shining through the visor.

Moranga followed how one of the dolls suddenly disappeared. But then that big man looked different. There was new colour in his hair and he had slimmer body…

The demon twitched when suddenly that odd man was right in front of him with his wide smirk. Bickslow cackled when taking support from the rock and gave a good kick to the side of the demon, sending it fly through the air and crash on the ground.

“Feels nice to get kicked around, baby?” he laughed.

“We’re good!” ‘babies’ yelled proudly.

The seith mage snorted when the ground shook and Moranga flew up in the air.

“I though that wasn’t enough. Soul Cape: Poppo”, he said when it was obvious that the demon was planning some kind of an attack.

Moranga’s cape moved and something dark blue was glimmering through it. Bickslow snickered and as his hair had earlier turned yellow, now they turned brown. Moranga let out somekind of a howling noise and in the same second the whole ground moved like it was pure water. Huge tsunami of dirt, mud, rocks and everything moved ahead and burrowed Bickslow under it, making trees crash against each other, rocks and boulders to shatter and sink because they were so heavy, the whole landscape chanced because of that one huge attack.

When everything finally settled, Moranga was seeking around trying to find where that funny man had gone. Did he die?

“You’re gonna need much more power to surpass Poppo’s defences!” Bickslow cackled and the ground crackled.

Brown shield broke the ground and let Bickslow and his dolls free from his grave. He hopped up and grinned wickedly at the demon.

“Surprised, baby?” he cackled. “Soul Cape: Pippi!” he said and this time red young soul disappeared, while Bickslow’s hair and tattoos took dark red colour. His muscles bulged as he gained much more power. “Not done yet, I’m gonna end this here and now”, Bickslow said. “We are too busy to waste more time. Soul Duo: Pippu!”

Puppu disappeared and his hair had double colour in it now. Moranga took a stance, ready to answer to any attack. Bickslow smirked and bolted towards, hitting his fist against the demon with raw power, making Moranga let out a shriek of pain.

“Yeah, that hurts!” Bickslow laughed when Moranga flew backwards because of the impact, but managed to stop finally. “Not done yet! Soul Trio: Pippupe!”

His hair got third colour, green this time on his top mohawk and he felt how his magic power doubled immediately. Green magic swished in the air as he raised his fist again.

“As I said, I’m in a hurry so I make sure this knocks you out”, Bickslow said. “Destruction Formation!” he yelled and hopped forward, let his green magic take a chaotic form so intense it was actually hurting his arm like hell.

The whole forest – what was left of it – was hit hard by the bright green blast wave. Then there was nothing but silence left.

Bickslow panted heavily and struggled to stay on his feet. But he chuckled when he saw long and deep track at the ground, as he had send Moranga through the forest with one powerful attack.

“Oh fuck”, the seith mage wheezed finally dropping to sit on the ground. His whole body felt like it was on fire! He wouldn’t be surprised if his arm was fractured too. His body wasn’t still used to this kind of attacks. And it was the first time he actually used three of his dolls at the same time!

He laughed maniacally and it echoed in the empty forest.

“It really worked”, he grinned to his dolls, who giggled hovering around him. “We did it!”

“We’re good! We’re heroes!” ‘babies’ giggled happily.

“That’s right. But now we must find Ever”, Bickslow said and with great effort he stood up, Tiki dolls doing their best to support him. “Thanks, babies”, he smiled and slowly they started to walk. He knew it probably wasn’t the best idea but like hell he would give up yet and just stay put while others were still fighting! “Puppu, go search around.”

“Aye, sir!” Puppu said mimicking the certain blue exceed and flew away.

 

Ever was almost shoved from her feet when she felt that blast Wave. What was it? Was Bickslow okay? She hissed quickly dodging when she saw slim and tall demon to attack, its big claws breaking the old tree trunk on the ground.

The blast wave had blown away the fog. It also revealed many bruises and wounds on Evergreen’s body as she had hard time to follow where her opponent was moving because of the fog. Now the fog was away, but it was already starting to form up again around the forest.

She knew she had to do something about that fog before it could settle down again and get too thick.

“Fairy Swarm!” the brunette said, forming as many little fairies as she possibly could. Jish-Ahrna crouched immediately in defensive state, looking at those hundreds of little creatures. They were so bright, making it wipe its eyes with its huge paw-like hands. “Oh, I see”, Ever chuckled deviously when she noticed this. “You don’t like bright colours, is that it? My, this took an unexpected turn.”

She waved her hands and the light got even brighter. She could hear how that heavy breathing turned more wheezing, like the demon was in pain. Ever smirked and swished her arms, letting her little fairies scatter all around the battlefield. Now she had an upper hand!

“If my fairies flutter their wings hard enough, I doubt your fog has enough time to settle”, Ever said. “And them being that bright, how are you going to fight?”

Jish-Ahrna let out a frustrated hissing whisper. Then it moved its long arms and Ever flinched when the fog was moving and gathering faster. It started to swallow her fairies inside it one by one, making their lights dim.

The air was getting more cold and grass turned pure white when hoarfrost appeared all around with tiny crackles. Ever shivered and hissed, using her wings so she could get away but she knew she couldn’t fly high. It was even more dangerous in the air because then Jish-Ahrna could silently attack her at any direction.

“You are even more stubborn than those three idiots, you know!” Ever said pointing at the demon who followed her movements. “I was just getting an upper hand! This is not acceptable!”

Jish-Ahrna looked like it was blinking because of confusion.

“Fine! I still have something I can use”, Ever growled annoyed when the fog kept gathering and it already covered Jish-Ahrna. “I can be pretty stubborn too, just so you know!”

Jish-Ahrna whispered something and moved around in the fog, following its movements and that way it could tell exactly where the prey was. Lord wanted them to vanquish every possible threat that approached the mansion.

Suddenly light almost as dazzling as the sun itself shimmered through the fog, no matter how thick it was. The demon quickly covered its eyes to protect them.

“Hummingfairy!” Ever shouted and then the fog started to move again, but not because of Jish-Ahrna this time.

Evergreen was still in the air, but her wings on her back were moving so fast it was hard to even see them. They were letting out low buzzing sound and they moved the air enough so the fog couldn’t get near her.

The bright light came from the chain mail she had around her, or it was more like a long evening dress made out of beautiful little golden chains.

“Do you like it?” Ever purred and swirled around in the air. “Try to hit with those ugly big claws of yours, they will break before you can even scratch this mail.”

She would  _never_ admit it to anyone that it was Erza who gave her this idea. Not directly – like she would ask advices from her! - but she happened to be near when Erza and Elfman were talking how important it was to have something you could use to defend yourself. Ever had then thought of those many armours Erza had, but she just couldn’t think of herself wearing something like that.

_This_ was her style! Defence with glamour and exquisite!

“Go ahead”, Ever chuckled with devious smirk. “Just try and attack”, she said and created more yellow dust around her and that crystallized into tiny orbs. “If you won’t I will”, she said swishing dozens of orbs ahead and just like she was hoping, Jish-Ahrna did the mistake to try and hit them.

The demon was more than just puzzled when instead of breaking or disappearing, those orbs covered its body all around.

“Boom”, Ever smirked snapping her fingers and huge explosion quaked the grounds of the remaining forest.

 


	72. Chapter 72

Laxus stepped on the huge garden, looking at the mansion. It was big, dark and old. He didn’t like it. His eyes narrowed when he remembered how Freed said that he had always hated living here. He could see why, this place seemed like there had to be a rule for every fucking thing.

But where Freed was? He could smell him and he knew he was in the mansion but this damn place was too big!

Laxus growled angrily when he sensed anxiety on Freed’s scent that was here and there all over the garden. Freed must have walked around here often, getting out of that massive building that looked like a haunted house, trying to think how to handle the situation the best way while keeping Felix safe. His mate was already stressed because of the pregnancy, it was HIS job to make sure they were safe so Freed didn’t need to think about that!

Laxus didn’t even care about how the ground under him was burning silently because of the lightning. He wouldn’t care if he burned down this whole place or destroyed it with his lightning. But before he could do that, he had to find where Freed was.

He heard steps and snapped his head towards the noise, growling when he saw a man who couldn’t be any other than Lucados Zaldevil.

“So you found your way here”, Lucados said and gently brushed his hair back with his fingers, making the other scythe-like cowlicks shift slightly. “I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised in the end. Freed seemed so sure you would come no matter what.”

“Where’s Freed?” Laxus snarled.

“He’s somewhere safe. Somewhere where you can’t go. I’m not entirely sure what all this mate thing is between you two, but I am happy that with it there will be now a new heir for the family. I guess I’m even grateful for that, Laxus. But Freed is still Zaldevil and so is his child.”

“Like hell”, Laxus growled. “He has made it plain clear that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with this family. And same goes with our son.”

“That is not something for him to decide. Or you. It is just a fact that cannot be changed.”

“I don’t give a fuck. I will take them home no matter what”, Laxus said and the air crackled around him, his orange eyes locked on Lucados.

“I guess there is then no other choice”, the older man sighed. “Stubbornness seems to be something you all youngsters have these days.”

 

Freed frowned as he did his best to translate all the texts but he only managed to get half of it. And to be honest, that half wasn’t the most helpful information he could get.

For the first thing was that the Old Contract was impossible to nullify. Not without deaths and Freed didn’t like that idea.

‘ _We have told it before, no mere mortal can break the Old Contract_ ’, he heard a familiar voice suddenly.

“Valdeghar?” he said, both surprised and happy.

‘ _As long as the Artefact of the Zaldevil family is effective, no one can break the contract_ ’, another, much deeper and growling voice grunted.

“Umanor”, Freed smiled. “It has been a long time.”

Umanor definitely wasn’t as talkative as Valdeghar and he didn’t answer if he didn’t decide so himself even if Freed tried to talk with him.

“Is there absolutely any way to destroy that Artefact?” he asked looking at the orb on the wall.

‘ _It will destroy itself when the time is up after the last Lord has died and one hundred years has passed after that moment. Or there will be no more heirs with Zaldevil family’s blood in their veins_ ’, Umanor explained.

“That is a really strict rule”, Freed huffed. “Of course it is out of the question to cause something that there will be no more heirs.”

‘ _Then you must make sure the future heirs won’t find their way in this chamber._ ’

“How can I make something like that happen? My runes can only guard this place until I die. What will happen after that?”

‘ _That is something none of us can tell. Even if we could and we would give you some kind of a prediction what could happen, it can still change. The future is in a constant state of changes. You’re a strategist, you know how it goes, Freed. Even a single thing can change the whole pattern and then you just must try to adjust and come up with a new plan._ ’

“I get it”, the rune mage sighed. “All we can do is to try to forget this place and make sure no-one will come here. If we talk about this place, there is always a change that someone might get too curious.”

‘ _You do what you and your mate think is the best solution. We can’t make decisions like that for you. But that is something you can decide later, we have much bigger problems right now to deal with_ ’, Umanor grunted.

“Do you know what is happening outside?” Freed asked surprised.

‘ _Not everything_ ’, Valdeghar said this time. ‘ _But we can guess. Your mate and your friends arrived at the mansion. It seems like your friend Bickslow managed to take down Moranga and Evergreen did the same to Jish-Ahrna._ ’

“They did?” Freed asked and he felt relieved. “That is really good news. Then we only have grandfather any more to -”

‘ _Don’t get your hopes up just like that, Freed_ ’, Umanor scolded sharply and Freed almost jumped. He had forgotten how strict Umanor could be and the demon never took anything lightly or think that things would go easily. Umanor was always prepared for the worst case scenarios no matter what. ‘ _We are talking about the Lord and his demons. Do you really think they can be taken down just like that?_ ’

Freed bit his lip slightly and sighed.

“No”, he confessed. “I know things wouldn’t go that easily.”

‘ _Good. Because they might be out of a while, but they will come back. We must do what we can. Do you think you can give us some of your magic?_ ’

“My magic?” Freed asked confused. “Of course if you need it, but I’m not sure how much I can lend it without wearing out my body and maybe that way causing something to Felix.”

‘ _We won’t be needing that much magic. We need to create links between us._ ’

‘ _What are you planning, old man?_ ’ Valdeghar chuckled.

‘ _We will use that information Lord gave us and take our own forms just like Moranga and Jish-Ahrna._ ’

“What?” Freed almost shouted. “That is definitely too much magic! I can’t do something like that now!”

‘ _We know. But we have one thing that Lord doesn’t have that we can use to make things easier_.’

“Really?” Freed asked confused. “What is it?”

‘ _Lord always uses his own magic to summon Moranga and Jish-Ahrna. Because otherwise they probably wouldn’t appear. With Valdeghar we can use our own magic and summon ourselves with just enough magic from you to create a link._ ’

‘ _You used our awesome name_ ’, Valdeghar said happily.

‘ _Shut up.’_

“Would you really do that?” Freed asked. “Use your own magic to make that happen?”

‘ _Yes. We trust you and we want to help you. That is what comes when you create a true and powerful bond. It is common to think that demons would never do something unless they get something in return. Maybe in some cases that is true, but demons are just like humans: They have personalities. We know we can trust you so we want to help you._ ’

“That is… I don’t even know how to thank you enough.”

‘ _Don’t be a crybaby._ ’

“I’ll try”, Freed chuckled and did his best to force those bouncing hormones to calm down. “But what are you going to do when you get out?”

‘ _We will talk with Moranga and Jish-Ahrna_ ’, Umanor explained. ‘ _There is one thing we can do to make things easier, we just need to convince them to do so_.’

“What is it?”

‘ _The Old Contract does not forbid the demons to raise up against their Master if they feel it necessary. If they themselves want it, Moranga and Jish-Ahrna are free to fight against the Lord. For them to get free they need approval from their Master and we don’t think Lord will set them free. But they can still fight and we will help them._ ’

“They would fight with us against grandfather?” Freed said surprised. “But what if he just sends them away?”

‘ _Either way, there will be less opponents for us, right?_ ’ Umanor said.

 


	73. Chapter 73

Bickslow walked through the forest with his totems, Pippi showing him the way as it had found where Ever was. The seith mage looked around and saw the brunette, sitting on a rock and clearly trying to gather her strength and magic.

“Hey, baby”, Bicks grinned stepping closer and Ever jolted.

“Don’t scare me like that!” she yelled and blushed slightly, quickly snapping her spine straight and not slumping anymore.

“Sorry. Where’s that slim friend of yours?”

“I ditched him, not much of a dating material”, Ever chuckled and Bickslow cackled, dropping to sit next to Ever on the rock.

“That’s good”, he said. “I like Elfman better for you.”

“Shut up, idiot. Where’s Moranga?”

“Dunno, might be anywhere”, Bickslow said and smirked. “But I’m pretty sure he won’t come back for a while.”

“Well done”, Ever giggled. “Seems like we both had horrible blind dates. You better stay with Cana too.”

“Don’t you think I won’t do that, baby.”

Ever looked at Bickslow’s right hand.

“What happened?” he asked, noticing how the seith mage had lost his armour from his arm and the skin was bruised, here and there there were cuts but they weren’t bleeding anymore. “Is it broken?”

“Don’t think so”, Bicks said, slowly moving his fingers. “Not yet. I can still fight.”

Ever nodded silently. She knew there was no point telling Bickslow not to keep fighting and stand aside. She wouldn’t do that either.

They both lifted their gazes when they heard loud thundering voice coming from the mansion. The sky was almost pitch black but here and there they saw lightnings, some of them hitting the ground around the mansion.

“I guess Laxus isn’t enjoying his blind date either”, Bickslow snorted.

“He’s too old for Laxus”, Ever said.

Just for a moment they decided to sit there and gather more strength. Soon they would have to leave to help Laxus, but they needed a moment to breathe before that. But when they suddenly heard steps again, both of them stood up quickly.

Two characters approached from the shadows, finally coming out to the little opening in the forest. They both almost dropped their eyes when they recognized who were approaching.

“Valdeghar”, Bickslow grinned.

“Yes”, Valdeghar nodded.

“And you are Darkness”, Ever said looking at the demon with large horns, who nodded as well.

“Umanor”, he grunted.

“Freed isn’t with you guys?” Ever asked quickly looking around, but he didn’t see the green haired rune mage anywhere. “Is he okay?”

“He is doing fine”, Umanor said. “He is inside the mansion, in the Chamber. We used our own magic to summon ourselves, Freed is lending us just enough magic so the link between him and us is active.”

“Can he really do that now?”

“He said he will be alright”, Umanor assured. “We use as little of his magic as possible, but the link must be active all the time. Everything else we can do with our own magic.”

“So you’re gonna help us to kick that old bastard’s ass?” Bickslow grinned.

“We’ll do our best”, Valdeghar said. “But first we have other things to do. We might manage to get us more reinforcements.”

“Really?” Ever asked surprised. “That is good, but who? Others from Fairy Tail don’t even know where this place is.”

“We can’t help that, but there is still something we can do”, Umanor said. “We will talk to Jish-Ahrna and Moranga.”

“What?” Bickslow and Ever both shouted.

“We’re pretty sure they want to join us”, Valdeghar said. “You should go help Laxus if you think you can.”

“We can”, Bickslow said. “We will go there right away, then. Are you sure you guys will be okay?”

“Yes”, Umanor assured.

Bickslow and Ever looked at each other and nodded.

“Alright, we’ll see you later”, the seith mage smirked. “Don’t get your asses kicked”, he cackled, making Umanor snort slightly amused.

“We should say that same to you”, he said and he looked at Valdeghar. “Go find Jish-Ahrna, I will find Moranga”, he said and the taller demon nodded, returning to the shadows of the forest.

 

Laxus grunted and dug his nails deep in the stone wall, slowing his fall until he stopped. That old bastard was a lot quicker than he even thought. He lifted his gaze, hanging on the wall and looking at the lord of this mansion who was hovering in the air on his glittering sand carpet.

“I have to admit it, you’re not half bad”, Lucados chuckled. “This is really amusing, it has been a long time since I had an opportunity to battle like this. But don’t you dare think this is all I have.”

“Good”, Laxus smirked. “That wouldn’t be fun at all.”

He spread his thundering wings and dashed in the air, aiming to crush his enemy with his lightning claws. Lucados huffed and swished his hands making a big shield out of his diamond dust of dreams that stopped those fierce attacks. Laxus sneered annoyed and charged more power, ripping that sand out of his way and kept destroying every new shield it formed in front of him again and again, slowly approaching his prey.

“You are actually keeping up with my sand”, Lucados chuckled, looking at the angry dragon slayer. “But I’m still going to win this”, the old man said and lifted his hands up.

While shields still kept Laxus busy, he formed more dust on his hand making it merge into a ball, gathering even more sand inside it even though it seemed impossible for it to fit in.

“Dream sand: REM sleep”, he smirked and the ball bolted up high above the garden around them where it exploded like a firework, spreading the dust all around and making the air glitter.

Laxus stopped looking around and part of him was waiting some kind of a monster to appear.

“The fuck?” he grunted when he noticed that Lucados had disappeared without him even noticing it. He would have wondered that even more if his nose hadn’t picked up a familiar scent. Quickly he glanced around, until he saw the red coat, green hair and those turquoise eyes.

Laxus let himself drop on the ground and now his heart was racing. It was Freed! He grinned widely and run towards the smaller male, who chuckled warmly like he always did when he was amused of Laxus’ doings.

“Freed”, the blonde smiled stopping in front of his mate.

“Hello, Laxus”, Freed smiled. “It took you long enough to come here.”

“Sorry, you can blame your asshole grandpa for that. Are you hurt?” Laxus asked looking Freed all around but he seemed like his usual self.

Though… Something was off, but he just couldn’t figure out what it was. And the scent felt different, it was much more faint. More like a memory.

“I’m fine, Laxus”, Freed assured calmly. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Are you really okay?” Laxus asked frowning. What was the thing he was missing?

“Yes.”

“Where did that bastard go?” the lightning mage asked looking at the sky.

Suddenly he couldn’t even move, feeling how something sharp and long stabbed deep into his abdomen, coming out through his back. He panted the pain filling his mind and eyes wide he looked down at Freed who smirked deviously, his hand holding the hilt of his sword and the blade itself had sank through Laxus’ body.

What… Was going on?

Freed just grinned and moved his sword cutting through the flesh and bone, making Laxus shout out loud because of the pain. His whole body was trembling and he felt how the blade moved, but he didn’t see any blood. Neither was the skin even scarred where sword had cut through it. But the pain was awful. He couldn’t move even his finger as the blade was slowly approaching his heart.

“Do you like it?” Freed asked. “Do you want some more?” he chuckled and Laxus yelled when he felt how the blade was getting hot. It was burning his flesh and internal organs, making him sweat and dizzy. He might pass out at any second.

Except he couldn’t. No matter how bad the pain was, he couldn’t even get unconscious so he could get rid of it. Hell, the pain was so horrific he hoped he would die!

 

Lucados smirked looking down at the ground where the large dragon slayer was laying on the ground, twitching while seeing dreams and letting out small growls and grunts.

“Seems like he was still just barks and threatening looks”, he said. “No actual danger.”

 

Ever blinked and stopped Bickslow before he would step forward.

“Wait”, he gasped quickly. “The air.”

Bickslow lifted his gaze and saw it too. The air was filled with a dust.

“What is that?” he asked.

“Didn’t Porlyusica mention that there was some kind of a dust in the town when we were sleeping?” Ever said frowning. “Maybe that is the same dust?”

“So Laxus might be asleep now?”

“Probably. But we shouldn’t just barge in there in case that is true, we will just fall asleep as well.”

“Well done noticing that, baby. So what are we then gonna do?”

Ever frowned and tried to think. What could they do? That dust would make anyone fall asleep and they didn’t know where Lucados even was.

“Maybe it won’t affect your dolls?” she noticed. “They are just souls trapped inside tiki totems, right?”

“Now that sounds really cruel”, Bickslow pouted. “But yeah, that’s true.”

“Maybe they could do something then? We have to get rid of that dust and we have to find Laxus. If we can’t wake him up...”

“Yeah, I don’t think we have much of a chance to win him”, Bicks muttered. “Well, your idea is the best we have. Babies! Can you do it?”

“We can!” all five little dolls answered twirling around them.

“Good! Go find Laxus and try to wake him up”, Bickslow said. “Watch out if anyone else comes near, got it?”

“We got it!” ‘babies’ assured and they flew in the garden.

“Seems like they’re okay”, Ever smiled. “For now...”

 

‘Babies’ circled around the garden, humming happily.

“Funny butterfly”, Peppe thought when he noticed a butterfly that had dropped to the ground from the flower above it.

It continued its searching with others, until they noticed the lightning dragon slayer that had still large mane, long tail and huge wings. His body’s lightning was burning the ground slowly.

“Laxus is scary...” Pippi whispered and others moved like nodding.

“Who wakes him up?” Poppo asked.

Others looked at each other, then they bonked against Poppo forcing it closer to the snoring dragon slayer. Muttering something to itself, Poppo slowly hovered closer and closer, until it was almost next to Laxus.

“Laxus?” it whispered. “Laxus?”

There was just snoring and he was twitching in his sleep. Poppo was confused, circling around the big man. What would Bickslow do?

“Laxus is a big dum-dum!” it shouted near his ear and quickly moved farther. That didn’t seem to help at all, Laxus was still sleeping like a log. Poppo flew again beside Laxus and thought more. If shouting didn’t help, what would Bickslow do then?

Poppo took a good distance, flew ahead and hit itself right onto Laxus’ head making the big man open his eyes like shot.

“Wake up, dodo!” Poppo yelled.

Laxus shook his head and for a while he didn’t even know what was happening. His chest was still burning because of the pain from the dream, but now he felt pain also in his head. It was different, though. It wasn’t as bad as in his dream, but it was far more real.

“What the hell?!” he roared annoyed looking at the Tiki doll, who yelped and flew at the bush nearby. Wait…

Groggily Laxus managed to get on his feet looking around. He didn’t see Freed anywhere. So it was a dream? Now that he remembered that dream, it was obvious what was wrong with the image. He looked like the Freed from before they got together. And his scent was faint because it was still just a dream.

“Where’s Bicks and Ever?” he asked and the bush rustled.

“They can’t come”, he heard a high pitched voice. “They might fall asleep!”

Laxus looked around. He wasn’t feeling sleepy anymore.

“Seems like I have to come up with something else then”, he heard Lucados’ voice and growled. “I guess you figured out what is this spell’s biggest weakness?”

“If you try to force me asleep again, I would know it is a dream this time”, the lightning dragon slayer grumbled. “And if I knew it was a dream, I could do what I want as well.”

“Well done, young man. And that is not what I want to happen.”

“Go get Bickslow and Ever, it’s okay as long as they don’t let themselves to forgot if they are awake of asleep”, Laxus growled to trembling Poppo who flew away from them like a dart.

Lucados looked how Laxus turned to face him and he smiled slightly when the younger one didn’t say anything.

“Wise man”, he praised. “Wise enough not to say something like I lost my most effective spell just like that. You know I have more of them hidden in my sleeves.”

Laxus growled and his mane emitted more sparks.

 


	74. Chapter 74

 

Freed muttered something while going through books he had opened on the floor. He made a copy of all the texts in the walls and everything there was. Even some little thing could be somehow important for the big picture. He might not be able to solve these texts here, but he could always continue studying them after they were home again and he had more time and books.

He twitched slightly and put down the papers he held, gently rubbing his stomach.

“It’s okay, nothing will happen”, he assured as he felt movements. “I know, this is a really scary situation but we will get through it. Your dad will make sure everything will be alright. As well as aunt Ever and uncle Bickslow”, he smiled. “Yes, I think that sounds really absurd too, but they are very reliable”, he chuckled and took his notes again.

Again he felt how the mansion shook and he was a little bit worried. It was better if he didn’t go out this Chamber, this was probably the only place that could maintain all those powerful attacks there must be happening right now. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was nothing left to the mansion at the end.

 

Ever and Bickslow ran quickly to the garden after Poppo had explained the situation. The sand was starting to fade from the air and that made things more easy.

“I see him!” Bickslow grinned when he spotted Laxus.

“I’m so glad that he is okay”, Ever said relieved and they headed towards the lightning mage. “Laxus!”

Laxus turned his head, spiky mane moving and he smiled slightly when he saw his friends.

“We got your back, baby”, Bickslow smirked his ‘babies’ twirling around them. “So kick that old bastard’s ass!”

“Thanks, guys”, Laxus said and he looked back to Lucados.

“Few vermins more, you think that is going to change the situation to better?” the old man huffed and brushed his hair with his fingers. “You are decades too young to even dream about winning a fight against me.”

“Man, you’re so full of yourself”, Bickslow sneered.

“You big fool!” his ‘babies’ mocked.

 

Umanor walked calmly through the forest and stopped when he saw the familiar figure. Moranga was standing, but was crooked to the left from the middle. Obviously the demon was in pain, but not even a peep was let out as it slowly limped closer to Umanor.

“You’re pathetic”, the bigger demon grumbled and Moranga stopped. “Look at yourself. You’re not even one quarter of the demon you used to be, Moranga. Your new master has drove you into your lowest point.”

Moranga said or did nothing, just staring at Umanor. He had his mission, master had told him to keep away those intruders.

“We together are demons that have been serving in this family the longest, Moranga. We have had many kinds of masters and we have been agreeing to do many kinds of missions through all those years... New demons in this family like Valdeghar and Jish-Ahrna have never experienced something like that. We have always been strong and proud, never really gotten attached to our masters more than what is expected.”

Moranga tried to straighten himself, but it didn’t seem to work. Umanor could see how much Moranga was fighting against the pain.

“There has been good masters and bad masters and the current Lord is definitely a bad master. He isn’t giving you even a slightest amount of trust or freedom, let alone considers you being more than just a low servant. You’re nothing but a pet to him”, Umanor spat. “He calls you out when he needs you, but he doesn’t care what happens to you. You’re in pain, Moranga. I can see that. Your pain must be greater than I can even imagine. Not just that wound, but the lack of a good bond. You remember how it feels to be really powerful when you and your master have a bond. You can never be at your strongest as long as the Lord keeps treating you like you’re nothing more than a thrash bag for him.”

Moranga said nothing, but its head slightly dropped in despair, pain and hurt.

“You agree with our words”, Umanor said, this time slightly softer. “We understand your pain, it is great and it is eating you out everyday until there nothing more left than just that cape you’re wearing to hide yourself under it. You used to be colourful and cheerful, now you’re just an empty canvas.”

Umanor growled looking at the mansion and then back to Moranga.

“So would you like to join us?” he asked and Moranga lifted his head again. “You can get free. Make your master free you from under his horrible tyranny and stop feeling pain.”

He smiled slightly.

“You will find again someone who will call you a partner instead of a servant who has no value. Maybe you will find someone who might even call you his friend. Someone with who you will create a bond so strong, you have power you have never felt before.”

Moranga tipped his head slightly, thinking about everything Umanor had said. The demon with large dark horns waited, knowing very well that if he managed to convince Moranga, Jish-Ahrna would follow them too.

Minutes went by, until finally Moranga moved. Umanor tensed for a second, but relaxed when he saw no threat in those movements. Instead, Moranga headed towards the forest so he followed him.

They walked for a while, until they saw two more figures. Umanor sighed when he heard Valdeghar arguing something with Jish-Ahrna, though the tall and slim demon didn’t say a thing.

“What can we say more to convince you?” the shadow demon asked. “If you want to feel power and freedom again, you have to fight alongside with us.”

“Moranga is with us”, Umanor said and Valdeghar and Jish-Ahrna both looked at them.

There was no words, but it was still like there was a long conversation between Moranga and Jish-Ahrna. They stared at each other, Umanor and Valdeghar waiting what they would answer. It was like the whole forest had fallen under the silence spell.

Until Moranga turned to look at Umanor. Silently it nodded.

“Good”, Umanor smiled. “That is a wise decision. You two don’t need that kind of a master. We don’t want Lord like that to rule. Freed will be the next Lord of this family, maybe the last who knows, but he is the Lord we want. Let’s go then and help him and his friends to make the current Lord fall from his throne.”

“This is getting exciting”, Valdeghar smirked. “We hope Freed will last long enough so we can have a great battle.”

“If the link starts to shake, we have to return immediately”, Umanor said. “We cannot endanger him and his offspring.”

“We know that”, Valdeghar said.

All four demons started their journey towards the mansion. On their way, Umanor and Valdeghar shared their magic with Moranga and Jish-Ahrna so they could tolerate the pain a little while more.

Soon this all would be over.

 

Laxus roared as he used his lightning to hit Lucados, but that damn old man was like a snake. And his sand was covering him all around him, making shields to stop every attack they threw at him.

“What the hell, man?” Bickslow finally said as they landed on the roof of the mansion. “What kind of attacks are those?”

“The fuck are you blabbering?” Laxus grunted.

“It’s like you’re not even trying!” Bickslow said. “I thought you would be rampaging this place, yelling and destroying stuff with your lightning! Instead it’s like you’re just slightly irritated lamb baaing and chasing a butterfly!”

“What?” Laxus said confused because of such a weird metaphor.

“You know what I mean. Get mad, baby! Have you forgotten that bastard is keeping Freed here in this mansion?”

“You think I would forget something like that?” Laxus growled annoyed.

“That’s more like it!” Bickslow smirked. “For us it’s like only yesterday when we saw Freed last time, but he has been all alone here for a month. Waiting for us to do something to help him.”

More sparks emitted from Laxus’ mane and lightning stroke more dangerously in his orange eyes as he glared towards Lucados.

“Yeah! Go berserk! Show that old fucker the real fury of the lightning dragon slayer!” Bickslow cackled. “He made your mate suffer, don’t forget that! He might be Freed’s grandpa and that’s why you obviously hesitate to fight seriously but he still made Freed feel pain!”

“Bickslow, slow down before you make him so mad he can’t control himself”, Ever warned.

“No, we need him to totally flip”, Bickslow smirked. “Freed can calm him when we find him, right?”

“I don’t know if even he can help if Laxus goes too far...”

“He won’t. Right, baby? Get mad but don’t let the dragon take over you”, Bickslow said bumping Laxus’ shoulder with his fist. “Freed wouldn’t like that. He’s coming, take him down!” the seith mage yelled when Lucados was heading once again towards them, ready to blast them with his sand.

Laxus growled and charged more power, vein in his neck throbbing as he thought about his mate. Freed had been in this dark mansion for so long already... Lucados might be his only family member alive anymore, but he was also the reason why Freed was suffering.

No, he wasn’t the only family member. Laxus, Fairy tail, their son... They were all his family. And he would protect his mate no matter what! Freed didn’t need that old bastard into his life! He had a real family with them!

Laxus raised his fist and charged it with almost dazzling amount of electricity. He locked his orange eyes into those turquoise ones and dashed forwards with his lightning. For a second he could see the surprise and almost fear in his foe’s eyes before he landed his powerful lightning fist against him, sending him fly.

Bickslow smirked as the whole mansion shook when Lucados was thrown inside it. The roof and floors crashed, dust filled the air and for a moment there was nothing but loud noises filling the air.

Finally it all calmed and Laxus panted heavily. He had put so much strength into that one hit as he possibly could.

“That man has to be a freaking demigod if he gets up after that”, Bickslow grinned, though he was nervous. Laxus was after all very scary when he got seriously angry and he didn’t need to hold back.

“You’re right”, Ever nodded. “But he is Freed’s grandfather, remember. If Freed has learned everything from him...”

“Shit, didn’t even think of that”, Bickslow tisked. “He must be like Freed times ten, then.”

“I don’t care”, Laxus growled. “I’m gonna make sure he won’t ever even think coming close to Freed.”

The mansion shook again, this time more rapidly and a huge amount of glittering dust broke through the roof. It faded, revealing Lucados who did have cuts on his outfit and even some blood on his face.

But he was smiling.

“I’ve been waiting for you to get serious finally”, he said to Laxus. “After hearing so much about you from my grandson, I was really curious to actually experience the famous power of the lightning dragon slayer from Fairy Tail.”

“Poor geezer hit his head badly when he fell”, Bickslow snorted to Ever. “He has no idea what he’s standing against.”

“I’m not interested about how powerful you are”, Laxus said. “I’m here to take my mate back home with me. Back to his family where he belongs.”


	75. Chapter 75

In the Guild House of Fairy Tail there was huge searches going on so they could find Laxus and his group.

“Has anyone yet found out anything?” Makarov asked impatiently and worried.

“Everyone is doing their best, raisin”, Roxanne snapped to the old man. “Don’t pressure those poor kids.”

“Last time I checked, I was the Master of this guild”, Makarov muttered annoyed.

“Might be, but it doesn’t mean you’re doing things right.”

“Damn those brats”, Makarov growled hitting the bar counter where he was sitting on. “Bickslow and Evergreen should have informed us too where they were going! Now we have absolutely no idea where to go. Our only hope is to ask around if anyone would know where that damn Zaldevil might live. That place might be anywhere, even at the other side of Fiore!”

“Please calm yourself, Master”, Mirajane said worried. “We will find some clues.”

“Listen to waffle”, Roxanne huffed. “Bartenders know the best. Have you seen Roscoe by the way?” she asked from Mirajane who smiled.

“He asked if he could team up with Elfman”, the white haired mage smiled. “It is so nice that he wants to help too, he looked really worried when we heard Bickslow and Evergreen had also left after Laxus.”

“That sweet boy”, Roxanne smiled warmly. “Acting all tough and remote like he doesn’t care but in the minute something happens he is out there trying to help.”

“But he is not part of Fairy Tail, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea for him to meddle in this”, Makarov said crossing his arms.

“You tell that to him and I will rip those remaining little strands out of your head. He wants to help and that’s that, he is worried about his brother and his friends.”

“What if he encounters mages? How is he going to fight?”

“With his own magic of course.”

“He knows magic too?” Makarov asked surprised and Roxanne nodded, taking sandwiches Mirajane put on the table.

“He doesn’t like it, though”, the old lady muttered. “But he uses it if necessary.”

“I see... I guess he should be fine then”, Makarov sighed. “And he is with Elfman.”

For a moment there was a silence.

“I hope Roscoe has more brains than muscles...” he finally muttered.

“Are you saying Elfman isn’t smart enough to take care of them?” Mirajane smiled brightly, making the Master of Fairy Tail sweat.

“No no, that was not what I meant at all”, he assured.

“Good. They will be fine”, Mirajane hummed happily taking the dishes and went to the kitchen.

“I like that girl”, Roxanne cackled. “There are lots of amusing people in this Guild. This is a really nice place.”

“Yeah... Nice...” Makarov sighed deeply. 

“Madam!” Kvestor yelled appearing in the Hall and running towards them with the other exceeds.

“Master! We found a clue!” Happy shouted and they stopped in front of the bar counter.

“What? You did?” Makarov asked quickly.

“It’s nothing sure, actually”, Carla huffed crossing her arms. “We can’t be sure it is Laxus and the others.”

“So what is the clue?” Roxanne asked turning around on his bar stool.

“There is a huge storm right now happening at the west”, Lily informed. “We can use a train to the nearest town from that storm.”

“That could be Laxus”, Makarov muttered. “Is that all we know?”

“It started out of nowhere and the locals say it is the worst thunderstorm they can even remember! And usually thunderstorms travel fast but it seems that those clouds stay on their place” Kvestor rambled.

“That does sound like Laxus is there”, Makarov agreed frowning. “Maybe it is not a bad idea to send at least few teams there.”

 

Bickslow crashed on the ground with Evergreen, both panting heavily.

“Shhiiit!” the seith mage hissed grabbing his arm that was bleeding.

“Are you alright, Bicks?” Ever asked quickly wiping some hair out of her face.

“My arm’s totally smashed now, it’s good for nothing for a while. Did it at least work?” Bickslow asked looking at the mansion.

The blast from his attack threw them to the ground, as he wasn’t able to fully control where he hit because of the previous injuries. There was no way he could do that attack again, not without ripping his arm completely off with that or crushing his other arm as well. ‘Babies’ hovered through the air to them, all five of them again in their normal tiki totem forms.

“We are too tired!” they apologized sadly. “No more magic!” they wailed.

“That’s alright, babies, you did well”, Bicks grinned to them reassuringly.

“I have to confess, my magic power is running dangerously low as well”, Ever gritted her teeth looking at the sky where Laxus and Lucados kept fighting fiercely. Bickslow’s destructive attack had blown parts of the mansion away like it was a house made out of sticks, but it wasn’t enough to stop the old mage.

“That man is a freaking monster!” Bickslow shouted both irritated and worried. “It’s like he doesn’t even notice us if we try to do something.”

“I think at this point we might just get more in the way than be helpful for Laxus”, Ever sighed. They wanted to help! But what could they do? Laxus was the only one who could actually hit Lucados.

They jolted when they heard steps and quickly stood up. Four figures stepped ahead and Bickslow grinned widely.

“Good to see you guys!” he cackled to Valdeghar and Umanor. “So? Are these two now on our side?”

“Yes”, Umanor said and Jish-Ahrna and Moranga both nodded. “It seems like you two shouldn’t get involved more into that fight.”

“I hate to admit it but you might be right”, Bickslow huffed.

“But we have to do something!” Ever yelled furiously, her brown hair all messed up and glasses crooked because they were broken. “We can’t just stand aside and watch!”

“You can do something for all of us”, Valdeghar said. “Freed is still inside the mansion.”

“Inside it? While we were fighting and causing it to almost crumble down?” Bickslow asked with horror.

“Oh no! Poor Freed!” ‘babies’ yelled scared.

“Even if the whole mansion would crash down, it wouldn’t do anything for the Chamber”, Valdeghar assured. “Freed is alright if he has stayed there. But it would be better if you go get him out and take him away from here.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Ever asked worried, watching how Laxus was shoved inside the west side of the mansion, coming through the wall only seconds later.

“We can’t be sure”, Valdeghar said. “But the Chamber is underground and if the mansion crumbles on it’s entrance, it might take forever to dig him out from there. He might even suffocate.”

“Oh fuck, we have to go, baby”, Bickslow said and Ever nodded. “Are you guys gonna go help Laxus?”

“Yes”, Umanor said. “We try to make sure you have enough time to come out from the mansion, but be quick. We believe this fight might destroy the whole mansion.”

“So how do we find the Chamber?”

Moranga stepped forward, making Bickslow and Ever flinch. The surrealism demon lifted its arms that were covered by the cape and they watched how some leaves flew up from the ground. They landed between the raised hands, started to change and merged together, forming some kind of a leafy parchment.

When it was done, Moranga gave it to Evergreen who looked at it confused.

“A map?” she realised.

“The Chamber’s entrance is located at the north side of the mansion”, Umanor said pointing the way. “With that you can navigate inside. You know when you have found the entrance.”

“Alright”, Bickslow said ripping some fabric from his outfit’s hem and used it to support his broken arm.

“Let’s go”, Ever said and they started to run towards the mansion.

Umanor looked at the other demons.

“Are you ready to join the battle?” he asked and the others nodded. “Let’s go then”, he said and they started moving.

 

Laxus growled dashing towards Lucados and grabbed his coat with his strong fingers when he once again tried to slip away from his reach. The lightning dragon slayer smirked and raised his other hand, calling lightning down from clouds. It was really satisfying to hear Lucados’ pained yell through the thundering rumble.

After that he tossed the man to the ground.

“Not moving so slippery anymore?” he smirked smugly, when Lucados was panting and stood up from between the thrash and dirt that had been tossed all over the mansion.

“Age might make me slower but I refuse to lose”, the older man growled and raised his hands. “Dream Dust: Nightmares!” he called gathering more glittering dust around him.

Laxus had to squint his eyes when bright flashes appeared here and there. When they stopped, there were lots of different kinds of creatures made out of sand just waiting for the orders from their creator.

“Attack!” Lucados commanded and they all charged towards Laxus immediately with loud growls. The blond maned dragon slayer grunted and prepared to swish away most of them as quickly as he could, but then he felt something.

A strong breeze blasted from right behind him. It was chilly but not cold and his sight was covered by thick fog. Laxus wrinkled his nose as it seemed like those damn demons had came back but then the fog just disappeared.

All the nightmares in front of him were covered by beautiful white hoarfrost, freezing them to their spots.

“What the hell?” he grumbled glancing behind him.

He saw Valdeghar and that other one must then be Umanor. And those two others were Lucados’ demons, but why were they all together?

“We are here to help”, Umanor said. “All four of us.”

Laxus was confused but huffed.

“I have no fucking idea what is going on but alright”, he nodded. “Those two also?” he asked pointing at Moranga and Jish-Ahrna who nodded.

“I see”, they heard Lucados’ voice and returned their gaze at him.

Lucados had managed to get up properly from the pile of boards, rocks, stuff from inside the mansion and other rubbish that were lying around.

“So you decided to stand against me”, he said his turquoise eyes full spite as he looked at his demons. “And what are you planning to do?”

Moranga and Jish-Ahrna both seemed to cower slightly, as Lucados’ presence was incredibly threatening to them. This was the man who had held them in their iron grasp for decades already. Man whose orders they did not dare to object before.

“Don’t lose your will to fight now”, Valdeghar encouraged them.

“I always knew you two would cause troubles”, Lucados said looking at Valdeghar and Umanor. “Ever since I saw Freed call you for the first time. In this family demons serve humans, don’t befriend with them!” he spat. “My foolish grandson never understood that fact no matter how much I tried to teach him. And you demons actually chose him to be the next Lord?”

“Demons are not evil by nature”, Umanor grunted. “We have different manners and looks than humans, but inside we are just the same. We don’t do evil things just because it’s our purpose in life. We do it because there are masters who make us do those things.”

“Humans only know a small fracture of demons, because most of us just prefer to stay away from humans and live peacefully”, Valdeghar said. “But then some of us are more adventurous and want to take contact with you guys. There are good bonds and bad bonds, it is always a gamble with who you will end up with. Freed is a good master and partner to fight with.”

“You scumbags have no idea what your place is”, Lucados growled annoyed. Then he chuckled slightly. “So with this foolish attempt to fight against me you probably hope to achieve freedom of me?” he asked looking at his ‘servants’, who stayed silent but this time they nodded. “Fine by me”, Lucados said. “I have no need for spineless weak demons like you two. Fight me and win, you are free to return back to that whatever hole you crawled out from. But if you lose, don’t you ever dare to stand against me again or I will kill you both for good”, he growled his eyes cold.

Laxus looked at those two demons who seemed scared. It was not easy task to suddenly fight against someone who had been pinning then under their thumb for so many years.

“We will win”, Laxus grumbled and looked at the Lord of the Zaldevil Family. “I don’t give a shit about this thing between your family and demons, but if we can free them in the progress, that’s fine with me.”

“Then it is settled”, Lucados said and he smirked widely.

The sand gathered around him again before any of them could do a thing.

“Dream Sand: Horror.”

“Oh no”, Umanor hissed.

“What?” Laxus asked when the glittering sand turned dark, swishing around the old man covering him from their sight. “What spell is that this time?”

“It’s not a spell”, Umanor grumbled. “It’s a name.”


	76. Chapter 76

Bickslow and Evergreen managed to get inside the mansion looking around.

“Geez, this place is creepy”, Bickslow sneered looking at the old paintings and stuff. No wonder why Freed said he didn’t like to live in this place.

“We don’t need to care about that now, we have to find Freed”, Ever said looking at the map. “We are here, so we need to take few turns and then the entrance should be near.”

“What do you think he meant when he said we would know the entrance when we see it?” the seith mage asked as they ran along the hallway. Outside they heard lots of noises from battling.

“It meant that we will recognize it, what else do you expect from that sentence?”

They turned from the corners and the whole mansion trembled, some plaster falling from the ceiling and pictures fell from the walls.

“We really don’t have too much time”, Ever muttered frowning. “I’m sure they informed Laxus that Freed is still inside and we went to get him, but that old goat might use it to his advantage. They can’t fight against him with full power if they are afraid it might hurt us.”

“You’re right, baby. But once we are out, Laxus will blow this whole place off the map”, Bickslow grinned widely.

They turned a couple more corners, Bickslow almost managed to get lost and Ever had to yell him not to go upstairs since the Chamber was underground, but finally they noticed two large columns that garnished wide staircase that lead down.

“Okay, this must be it”, Bickslow snorted looking at the tiny carvings of demons in columns.

“Yeah, no doubt. Let’s go”, Ever said and they stepped downstairs.

The staircase went deep underground.

“Why is it that these kind of staircases are almost always spiralling?” Bickslow muttered. “And dark, fuck, almost tripped over.”

“Freed!” Ever yelled down to the darkness, using some of her fairies to give them light. But her magic power was low so they could only have dim lights to make sure they would last so they could get up as well and see where to step.

“Freed!” Bicks shouted. “Buddy, we are coming!”

 

Freed sat on the floor, feeling how his magic had started to slowly decrease. He had done as much as he could and tried to think more what he should do so he had everything he needed from this Chamber. He couldn’t touch the Artefact itself and he couldn’t break the old seals or anything, not now, but if only he could do at least something...

He jolted when he heard voices nearby. They kept shouting his name and he stood up carefully. Freed heard steps from outside the heavy door and smiled when he recognized those voices.

“Ever, Bickslow!” he said stepping beside the door.

“Freed!” Ever’s voice shouted sounding relieved. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine”, Freed said and he grabbed the handle.

He pulled the heavy door open and saw his friends who smiled happily.

“Freed!” Ever shouted and she stepped ahead, but was stopped by the invisible barrier. “What the...”

“It is somekind of a rune magic”, Freed explained. “Only those who belong to Zaldevil family can come in. Are you guys alright?” he asked noticing how battered both of his friends were.

“Yeah, we’re doing good enough. Woah, what the hell is that?” Bickslow asked looking inside the Chamber. He saw the big orb that was attached to the wall, glowing enough to give them light. “Is that the Artefact?”

“How do you know about it?” Freed asked snapping his gaze at his friends who jolted.

“Oh… Uhm…” Bicks stuttered looking at Ever and then back to Freed. “We heard about it from Valdeghar earlier. When we asked him some questions about your grandpa at Laxus’ place.”

“Then?” Freed asked his eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

“Laxus said not to”, Ever sighed. “He didn’t want to worry you more and he was scared that you might try to do something about it.”

“I can’t do anything even if I wanted”, Freed sighed shaking his head. “I don’t recognize these runes at all. The magic is coming from the lacrima and it’s obviously the reason why we can use demons.”

“Have you touched it?”

“No, I figured that wouldn’t be wise. I don’t want Felix to have anything to do with that thing and who knows what might happen if I touched it. Right now everything is okay.”

“So it can’t be removed either, huh?” Bicks mused.

“I don’t think so, these runes are probably the most strongest I have ever seen anywhere. I thought that maybe I could rewrite them but I can’t. The pattern is sealed with rituals I have never even heard of.”

“Can you come out?” Ever asked worried.

“Yes, I’m free to move how I want”, Freed smiled and demonstrated it by stepping outside the Chamber and Ever hugged him tightly. “I’m alright, honestly”, the rune mage chuckled patting her back. “How is Laxus?” he frowned.

“Mad as hell, as you can guess”, Bicks grinned. “Umanor, Valdeghar, Moranga and Jish-Ahrna are helping him.”

“So they managed to convince them”, Freed smiled. “I’m happy to hear that. I just hope everything will go well.”

“They will be fine, but we need to get out of here, baby. Some parts of this mansion have already collapsed, because we had no idea you were here before Umanor and Valdeghar told us. We came to fetch you before you got buried alive.”

Freed frowned and looked inside the Chamber.

“There must be still something I could do”, he muttered.

“NO! We are going”, Ever shouted determined. “Right now, no arguments!”

The green haired mage sighed and nodded. He understood that the situation was really serious and they should get out. Even if he would be alright inside the Chamber, Ever and Bicks would have to stay outside and he didn’t want something happen to them.

“I understand”, he nodded. “But I will take all my notes and some of these books”, he said stepping back into the Chamber.

Bickslow took a few books with his still functional hand, Ever took the other books and Freed grabbed the note sheets. He nodded and closed the door, taking a last glance towards the Artefact before the heavy door let out a slight rumble as it closed.

Maybe he would come back some day, if he could find a way to seal this place so no-one could find it anymore even after he was dead.

All three of them climbed up the stairs and almost tripped over when the mansion shook and rumbled again, this time closer than before.

“Valdeghar”, Freed gasped when he felt how the link was wavering. It must have been a strong hit to make that happen!

“Move, move”, Ever ordered pushing him ahead.

“We have to go there, it’s a quicker way to get out”, Freed said showing the way. Despite the hurry, there was no way that he could actually run but he did his best to move fast.

Some of the hallways were already crashing down and in the end they all had to climb out of the large window, but they managed to get out.

“Shit...” Freed huffed. This was not good. This hurry, stress, worry and his decreasing magic power was definitely not doing any good for him. 

“It’s okay, Freed, just don’t fall. It’s slippery here”, Ever said supporting him as well as she could, still holding the books.

“Give me those, Ever”, Bickslow said to her. “And make sure Freed stays on his feet. I can still somehow carry them all.” His ‘babies’ were already in deep sleep, recovering from the earlier battles so they were no use for them right now, they had their limits after all.

Ever nodded and put the rest of the books on Bicks’ arms, making the seith mage hiss in pain but he managed to carry them all.

“Let’s go”, Bicks said and they headed towards the woods.

They made their way safely at the edge of the wood and turned to look at the mansion. Half of it was already torn apart and there was lots of smoke coming out because of the fire that was spreading fast, turning the dark surroundings red.

“Holy...” Bickslow gasped and Freed could hardly believe his eyes.

In the air there was definitely a one more demon, hovering just above the destroyed mansion its dark blue coat covering every inch of its body. Golden ornaments on its chest made it look like a soldier but as the dark hem of the coat floated in the air it gave out an impression of a ghost.

“I had no idea he had one more demon he could control”, Freed said. The face of the demon was mostly covered by the large collar but he would recognize those scythe-like, now upwards pointing cowlicks anywhere. “And he’s using his own body.”

“So he’s even more powerful than before”, Ever gritted her teeth.

“Oh man! Is that old bastard really somekind of a demigod after all?!” Bickslow yelled frustrated.

“No, he definitely is not. Demon maybe, but not a demigod”, Freed grumbled. “And it wouldn’t matter even if he was.”

He smirked despite feeling tired, when the dark clouds once again lightened up shooting down a massive pillar of lightning and the thundering roar filled their ears.

“Because we still have our Thunder God.”


	77. Chapter 77

Valdeghar panted leaning against the rock behind him, as a powerful hit from Lucados had smashed him through the mansion and back outside.

“You don’t look good”, Umanor noticed hovering closer to the Absolute Shadow.

“We know”, the dark demon grunted standing up heavily.

“You must return if your magic starts to run low”, Umanor said. “Don’t put Freed in danger.”

Valdeghar huffed and took a step, but instantly he fell on his knees.

“You must return”, Umanor demanded. “You can’t fight that way.”

“But the Lord is still standing”, Valdeghar growled.

“Yes, but we can handle him. You go rest. There is still four of us fighting. It is easier for Freed this way.”

Valdeghar glanced towards Lucados who was now attacking Moranga and he sighed.

“We know”, he muttered and with that he disappeared in the air.

“We will take him down”, Umanor muttered to himself looking at the Lord of this battered mansion.

‘ _Umanor, can you hear me_?’

Umanor got surprised as he heard the familiar voice.

“Freed? Where are you right now?” he asked frowning.

‘ _Good, I was worried I might not be able to reach you. I’m with Bickslow and Evergreen at the forest on the north side of the mansion. I felt that Valdeghar took much damage, is he alright_?’

“He’s fine after some rest”, Umanor assured. “Don’t worry. So you are out of the mansion, we will inform Laxus. Now we don’t need to be afraid what might happen to you three. Stay in the forest, as far as you can and stay together.”

‘ _I guess we don’t have a choice... Is Laxus alright_?’

“He’s fine, still fighting.”

‘ _That is good to hear_ ’ Freed said his voice sounding relieved. ‘ _Please tell him to be careful._ ’

“We will, Freed”, Umanor promised and he took off.

 

Laxus growled looking at the ghost like demon who was keeping his distance from them. Jish-Ahrna and Moranga were still standing, but both of them shivered because of pain and they were obviously exhausted.

He grunted and released more lightning hitting the nightmares that were created out of dream sand, but as soon as they were hit they just reformed themselves. It seemed it was almost impossible to destroy them as long as Lucados had this much power.

“Laxus”, he heard Umanor’s voice and he looked at the demon who came closer. “Valdeghar had to return. But we have also good news: Freed is out of the mansion and with Bickslow and Evergreen.”

“He is?” Laxus asked. “That’s good to hear. If they stay together, they will be fine. I trust them”, he said.

“Oh, so Freed decided to go against my word and left the Chamber”, Lucados murmured, his voice deep and echoing because of his demon form. “I shouldn’t be surprised. He has always fought against my word and done what he pleases, never caring about his family.”

“That is not true”, Laxus frowned. “Freed cares deeply about his family and friends. You with your constant ramble about Zaldevils just don’t deserve his loyalty.”

“No matter what he says, he is Zaldevil and should understand that his place is here”, Lucados said.

“His place is in Fairy Tail!” Laxus roared angrily, air crackling sparks around him.

“You still go on with that? I’m starting to grow tired of you fools and your futile attempts to win me. That will never happen!” Lucados declared swishing his arm that was covered by a long blue sleeve.

The dark sand started to swirl around in the air, covering the whole mansion inside a harsh sandstorm. Laxus sneered and squinted his eyes as it felt like the sand was scratching his skin all over, ripping his clothes the more it got power. He heard chuckles and suddenly Lucados was there, giving him a good kick right on his abdomen.

Laxus crashed heavily on the ground, tasting blood and gasping air. He stood up but it was almost impossible for him to open his eyes anymore, leaving him vulnerable for attacks. From somewhere he heard other voices as Lucados attacked them all one after another, who got crashed at the ground or grumbles of the mansion.

Shit! How could he attack Lucados like this?! No matter how much he wanted to hit that son of a bitch he barely saw what happened around him! He growled when he saw enough movement that he managed to rise his hands in time, blocking another kick that was aiming to his head this time. Lucados chuckled, almost gently landing to ground on his hand and landed another kick on Laxus’ side sending him fly again by force.

“And here I thought you dragon slayers were something incredible”, the old man said straightening himself. 

He huffed and jumped aside when roaring lightning burst through the air at the spot where he had been standing. Laxus was quick, but he had been training for years – decades! - and he had mastered how to fully control his magic. And he didn’t only rely on his magic, he was an expert at close combats as well.

There was just no way some brat with some lightning magic could surpass him.

Laxus grunted and swiped his eyes, trying to cover them. The dark sand was twirling around in the air, making everything seem dark. He had no idea where Umanor, Moranga or Jish-Ahrna were. The sand scraped his skin, feeling like someone was scratching it with a cheese grater. From distance he could hear at least Umanor fighting against Lucados.

The lightning dragon slayer roared, letting out more bolts to stop the sand but at the second lightning stopped, it filled the air again like it never left.

“Fuck!” he snarled annoyed. How could he stop that sand? Or at least make it possible for him to open his eyes! It was impossible to stop it by lightning, but he couldn’t use anything else that would be effective…

The blonde frowned. No, Freed would think some way to make use for even seemingly useless spells at the situation. What would he do? If two things were useless by themselves, could they be useful when combined?

Laxus grumbled and drew some runes, he had to think a little bit what he needed but finally he managed to create a full set of runes what he needed. He smirked. Yes! This might actually work!

 

Lucados grabbed the dark horn and smashed the bigger demon roughly through the stonewall at the roof.

“You worthless thrash”, he muttered with despise. “I can’t believe you managed to talk Moranga and Jish-Ahrna to turn against me. Well, they are going to pay for that, don’t you worry.”

He turned his eyes as he felt other movement at his left side and jumped out of the lightning’s way.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” he grumbled looking at Laxus who had managed to get up on the roof as well now. “It is easier for all of you to just give up while you still can move.”

“Not gonna happen”, Laxus grunted. “I don’t care even if you would throw all of your magic and try to torn me into pieces, I would still get up and kick your sorry ass because you’re threat to Freed.”

Lucados looked at Laxus. He noticed how the younger male wasn’t squinting his eyes anymore. The sand didn’t seem to affect him at all. Now that he noticed that, he saw how the sand couldn’t even reach him like he was inside somekind of a bubble.

“I see”, he said. “It seems like Freed has taught you some rune magic.”

“Yes”, Laxus said.

“I happen to know a thing or two about the rune magic myself, though I don’t use that magic. But I have followed Freed’s training ever since he was just a little kid. That sphere might cover you from the sand, but it won’t help you to cover from my attacks”, Lucados said dashing forward, aiming his dark hand with long claws to hit Laxus.

At the second his hand touched the runes, he felt a tingle. Huge amount of electricity run through his body burning him inside. It felt like his hand was glued at the bubble’s surface, until the powerful blast finally threw him backwards and he hit the roof.

“Like I didn’t know that”, Laxus snorted and sparks crackled at the surface of his cover made out of runes.

He got this idea when he remembered those rune cylinders he had made at the time of the Autumn Festival. He just modified them a little bit to be more suitable for this situation. Now he could see again as the wall was keeping out the sand and he could easily use his lightning through it.

Laxus jumped ahead and smashed his foot against Lucados’ chest sending the old man crash through the roof inside the building.

“You little shit”, Lucados growled angrily, standing up and he looked at Laxus who shattered the marble floor with his electricity covered rune bubble as he entered the beautiful ball room as well. Lucados gathered his dark dream sand covering himself with it as well, attacking towards.

Two spheres with different magic blasted as they collided, sending more marble fractures in the air and breaking those huge windows that once showed the guests a beautiful view to the garden. Lightning torched the walls and sand scraped areas it didn’t touch. Rest of the whole roof came down with loud crash but it didn’t slow down two fighters who were only focused to take each other down.

Laxus snarled blocking an attack after an attack as Lucados used his claws, legs, anything at all and showing some incredible martial art traits and capability to get through his barriers at the middle of the fight. He had to admit, he wasn’t that quick with his own attacks but what he lack in speed, he covered with destructive power. He was starting to notice something. Something he could use as his advantage.

He docked and blocked hits, moved and at the last second dodged dark claws that left scratches on his cheek. He smirked and grabbed tightly by that large collar, charged lightning to his fist and landed a punch right onto that demon face.

The whole wall crashed down in to living room when Lucados was shoved through it. Laxus stepped over the dust of plaster and pieces from the stone wall. He took a sniff of the air and smelled smoke, the fire was spreading over here already. The whole east part of the mansion must be already burning down in ashes.

“You better give up an surrender”, the blond dragon slayer growled his big waving wings lightening the gloomy living room. Once big and ominous fireplace had only half of it standing anymore and all the furnitures had been thrown all around the room. Large rug on the floor was tattered and wrinkled, covered now by dust and not at all as majestic as it used to be.

Lucados panted, shivering as he slowly lifted himself on his knees, spitting more blood on the floor. He glared at Laxus with his turquoise eyes, faded green hair messed up and framing his anger filled face.

“You cannot destroy the Chamber”, he grunted, coughing more blood.

“I’m here only to bring Freed home, everything else I don’t care right now”, Laxus growled staring back at those turquoise eyes with his orange ones. There was a lot of same stubbornness in those eyes as Freed had, he noticed.

“That boy… I can’t even describe in what all levels he has broken all the rules of this family”, Lucados muttered finally standing up, his blue long coat torn and blackened by burns of lightning. “I have no words for how utterly disappointed I am.”

“He doesn’t need to care about the rules here or what you think.”

“He will”, Lucados smirked. “I know it. Because he has always been weak that way. He will carry that shame of disappointing his family for the rest of his life, he won’t stop thinking about it.”

“You’re just his grandfather, not some God who rules over his life”, Laxus growled. “And after all you have done he won’t give a shit about you.”

“But he will”, Lucados chuckled moving some grey strands from his bruised face. “I know how he is. He won’t say it out loud, but I know it that he will never forgive it to himself when he lets someone down, no matter what others think if it is justified or not. Deep down he knows he chose wrong when he turned his back to his family, his own blood and flesh.”

Laxus grunted. He couldn’t deny it, Freed probably would think about it. Not because he would feel he did something wrong because like hell that would be true, but no matter how insane that old bastard in front of him was he was still Freed’s grandfather, his only relative still living.

And he had turned his back for him. It didn’t matter if it was the right thing to do, Freed would ponder it for the rest of his life if he could have done something to make things still better.

“Don’t you feel any remorse at all?” he muttered. “If those damn rules told you to kill Freed because he chose Fairy Tail before you, would you do it?”

For a moment, just a slight moment there was a silence.

“I would”, was the cold, calm respond what made Laxus’ blood boil immediately. “From the day he ran away, for me he was not worthy for this family anymore. The problem was that he was my only inheritor. It was so ironic I didn’t know should I laugh or cry because at the same time he was nothing but a traitor who should die but still extremely valuable for the family line to continue.”

Lucados huffed.

“I thought if I let him run around for a while he would notice that living in a guild is not worth it and he would come to his senses and return home. Then I heard that he went missing… For a brief moment I thought it was all over, the mighty family of Zaldevils was going to die with me but then he appeared again. I knew I had to to make sure he would return. I would have needed to chain his magic and do something to make sure he wouldn’t break any rules anymore and would do exactly what I would tell him to do. But it still took time to arrange something like that.”

He smirked.

“When I found out about the baby...” he said. “It was like a gift for this family from heavens. Can you believe how happy I was? Freed might be good for nothing but at least I know there will be other heirs.”

“Like hell we will let anyone know about this place”, Laxus snarled.

“Maybe. But you won’t live forever. I know one day there will be someone who understands what it means to be a Zaldevil and they will make that name great again. One way or another.”

“I’m tired of your yapping”, Laxus growled his mane growing and orange eyes turning even more flaming. “Freed might feel guilty for a while but he understands that this world is better when you’re not roaming around in it freely.”

 

Freed was standing at the edge of the woods with Ever and Bickslow. Not too close that there would be danger but Freed refused to go any farther. He wanted to know that Laxus would be alright. He was worried. He had felt a moment ago how Umanor had to return and he had no idea if Moranga and Jish-Ahrna were anymore at the condition to help Laxus.

“It has been quiet for a while”, Ever finally broke the silence. “Did Laxus win?”

“We can’t know before something happens again”, Freed murmured.

“Do you think they might have knocked themselves out?” Bickslow suggested.

“Of course it is possible, but I still don’t think so”, Freed shook his head.

“We just have to wait”, Ever said. “Laxus will be alright.”

So they kept looking at the burning mansion. It was finally starting to rain more so it restricted the fire at least a little bit, starting to subdue it. But it didn’t take away the tension that was still lingering in the air.

Suddenly the air tingled.

In a second a huge pillar of lightning bolted down from the storm clouds and its bright flash blinded them. The destructive power ripped off parts of the mansion with ease, incinerating everything it touched. Those parts what survived were blasted all around and the thundering roar was all they could hear even after everything was already over.

Freed moved slightly as they all three had collapsed to the wet ground because of the immense blast caused by that mother of all lightnings. It was so powerful it even diminished the fire that had been eating the mansion earlier.

Now there was only ruins left.

“Holy hell, that was one hell of a bolt”, Bickslow said sitting up. “My ears are still ringing and I think my vision was blown away – Freed!” he said when the rune mage was already up and heading towards the ruins.

Freed gritted his teeth and he didn’t even think if the ground was wet or slippery, he just had to go to the mansion. That… That lightning was different! He knew Laxus’ magic! He could recognize it anywhere! But that… It was  _different_ !

Finally he got to the yard and stepped over the stones and rubbish to get to the hallway that had lost half of its roof and wall.

“Laxus!” he yelled looking around.

“Freed, that place might collapse!” Ever warned but the green haired mage only pushed deeper into the broken mansion.

Moving was a challenge, but he kept looking around. At some point he heard how something heavy was moving so he moved towards it, hearing how something scraped the marble floor.

“Laxus?” he said worried when he arrived at the mansion’s once biggest living room. There was hardly anything else left than just some parts of the walls.

He did not see Laxus nor Lucados anywhere. But the air was still tingling because of heavy amount of electricity. He knew Laxus had to be alive and still powerful because of that, but in what condition he would be?

Freed stiffened and his heart almost stopped when he heard a low growl. Then rocks and other thrash moved and heavy steps hit the floor as something big and slim moved at the hallway other side of the broken wall.

“Laxus…?” Freed almost whispered as he was fearing what he would see. Was Laxus…?

It was getting brighter right behind the corner and the steps came closer. First thing he saw was a huge snout with bright yellow scales and large teeth shining at the dim light. Next was burning orange lizard eyes that looked directly at Freed who was holding his breath.

Another growl escaped through those teeth and more of the slim body followed after the head. Golden mane swayed slightly and big transparent wings made out of electricity waved in the air. Large claws left big marks on the floor as the lightning dragon came closer, sniffing heavily the air. For a moment the rune mage really was scared what might happen next, but the growling lowered into a gentle purr.

Freed raised his trembling hand and touched the snout that didn’t hesitate to come closer, smelling his scent and those eyes studied him close.

“Laxus”, Freed said once again, not knowing what else to say. He almost tripped over as the snout snuggled against him and he was relieved. At least Laxus recognized him. There was a sleepy gaze in the dragon’s eyes but also warmth and happiness.

Freed smiled running his fingers through the large mane as Laxus coiled himself inside the remains of the living room from the hallway. Scales scraped against each other letting out a small slithering sound that was almost relaxing. Freed turned when the big head circled him, pulling him gently against the warm skin and mane.

Laxus was happy. The threat was beaten and he had his beloved mate against him safe and sound again. Freed was happy too, of course. Laxus was alive and he didn’t seem that badly injured. But he was a dragon.

They heard steps again and Laxus tensed glaring at the direction where the steps were coming. Two more mages. Freed could see from Bickslow’s and Ever’s scare, surprise and sadness filled faces that they too had been fearing this to happen for Laxus.

Laxus let out a small snort, closing his eyes as he seemingly decided that Bickslow and Evergreen were not a threat. Did he recognize them, they didn’t know but the tip of the long tail with it’s yellow tuft moved slowly in a way that told them they were not welcomed to come closer.

Freed looked at his fiancée, his turquoise eyes filled with sadness now. He had no idea what to do. Could Laxus ever turn back to normal?


	78. Chapter 78

Roscoe followed Elfman and the others through the forest. There had still been a large storm going on when they arrived at the train station in a small town near, but now the air was getting more clear. It was still pouring water but they heard no more thundering. They could see a large cloud of smoke from miles away and knew exactly where they needed to go.

“I’m gonna be so pissed if there’s nothing left for us to fight with when we get there!” Natsu said as they followed the road.

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing if they managed to get rid of the enemy by themselves?” Wendy asked.

“But I want to fight too! That Dreamcatcher or whatever attacked us! He made us sleep over a month!”

“I wouldn’t mind giving him an ass kicking myself”, Gray growled.

“Focus on the mission Master gave us, our first priority is to make sure Laxus and the Thunder Legion are alright”, Erza reminded. “They are strong, but we have no idea how strong the enemy is. If they need our help, we will do what we can.”

“Aye!” Happy grinned.

Roscoe followed them and looked around the forest at the same time. It seemed like some of the trees had lost their branches and whatever leaves were still left even through the winter had been blown away. Some of the trees had also fallen down and pretty much everything in this forest was somehow battered. There were patches that had no grass whatsoever, as if someone had turned the ground upside down.

“There must have been an intense fight here”, he muttered.

“Real men don’t fight half-heartedly”, Elfman smirked.

“There is no need to destroy the whole forest either”, Roscoe said.

“Sometimes things like that are unavoidable”, Erza noted. “This forest will survive, don’t worry about it.”

Finally they got to the mansion, or what was left of it. They all stared at the remains of the enormous building that was still giving off smoke but it seemed like there was no fighting going on anywhere.

“It’s really quiet”, Erza frowned. “Do not let your guard down.”

They stepped through the garden and carefully inspected surroundings but didn’t find any traces of Laxus and the Thunder Legion.

“Maybe they are inside?” Lucy suggested, wiping her wet blond hair out of her face.

“Let’s go check out!” Natsu grinned and bolted right towards the ruins.

“Natsu! There might still be enemies! For god’s sake...” Erza huffed. “Juvia, Gray, Cana and Elfman will stay outside, warn us immediately if you see anything suspicious. We will go inside and see what the situation is.”

“Alright but when you see Bickslow you tell him he better be alright so I can kill him because he left like that”, Cana growled.

“That I can do”, Erza nodded amused. “Let’s go then”, he said to Lucy and Wendy, following Natsu inside the ruins.

 

Inside the mansion at the north wing Bickslow and Ever were sitting in the hallway that had most of its parts fallen down. But they had a roof over their heads and they even had lit a fire after moving some rocks and thrash. Who cared anymore where they put the fire when the whole place was broken?

They were just talking about how to return back to Fairy Tail when they heard a familiar shouting.

“It’s Natsu”, Bickslow grinned standing up.

“How I’m not even a slightest bit surprised?” Ever chuckled standing up as well.

They waited until quick steps came closer, flash of pink and black ran past them, stopped and came back.

“I found you guys!” Natsu smiled. “Where’s the enemy? I’m all fired up! I wanna fight too!” he announced looking around like just any second an enemy might bolt out somewhere.

“Relax, we already took care of everything”, Ever huffed. “There’s nothing left to fight with.”

“ _Whaat_?! That’s no fair!” Natsu yelled frustrated.

“Bickslow, Evergreen!” Happy shouted with a smile, when the blue-white exceed caught up with them. “You are okay!”

“Of course we are, we’re the Thunder Legion”, Ever stated swishing her tangled hair back and took out her broken fan. “What did you expect?”

“Where’s Laxus and Freed?” Natsu asked confused. “They didn’t get knocked out, did they?”

“Like hell that would happen”, Bickslow snorted with a grin. “They’re just sleeping.”

“Oh, then we should go wake them up”, Natsu said.

“Better not do that, baby. There is a tiny little… Problem with Laxus.”

“Huh?” the fire dragon slayer wondered and they heard more steps coming closer. Erza, Wendy, Carla and Lucy appeared right behind the corner.

“Is everything okay?” Erza asked immediately. “Is there any danger around?”

“No”, Ever huffed lifting her nose and looked at the other direction. “No-one messes with the Thunder Legion.”

“This looks bad”, Wendy said worried taking a look at Bickslow’s arm. “Evergreen, are you alright?”

“Nothing that I can’t handle”, Ever said haughtily.

“Let me just check on you, just in case”, Wendy smiled. Of course Ever wouldn’t show any weakness in front of them especially since Erza was here, she had learned that much.

“Please go fetch others too since there is no enemies around anymore”, Erza said to Happy.

“But it’s raining there”, he complained.

“Then you better leave right away so you can return back here quicker.”

“Aye...” Happy sighed, flying back outside.

Ever and Bickslow sat down again as Wendy mended their wounds. Soon others joined them with Happy and Bickslow flinched when a pair of dark purple eyes shoot daggers towards him.

“Bickslow, you idiot and the biggest asshole ever!” Cana shouted angrily, her brown hair dripping water.

“Ohh, you just finally got yourself a new middle name and surname”, Ever chuckled to the seith mage.

“Hey baby”, Bickslow smiled, though he was sweating.

“Don’t you ‘hey baby’ me, you mindless cross-dressed wanna be knight!” Cana shouted shaking Bickslow by his collar. “Why did you ran off like that?!”

“We had to go after Laxus and find Freed”, the seith mage quickly explained. “I’m sorry baby, we didn’t have time to wait.”

“Cana, please calm down, he’s injured”, Wendy piped up worried.

“Just a second”, Cana growled, shook Bickslow a little bit more rigorously and finally let go of him. “Alright, I guess I’m satisfied now”, she tisked crossing her arms and Wendy could return back to mending Bickslow who seemed a little bit ruffled up.

“Could you tell us what happened?” Erza said to Ever who huffed.

“That might take a while”, she said.

“We have time, we’re not going anywhere before Wendy is sure you can travel”, Lucy smiled.

“So what is the problem with Laxus?” Natsu asked.

“Problem?” Elfman asked confused.

“Yeah, they said that Laxus and Freed are sleeping and there is some problem with Laxus.”

Ever and Bickslow looked at each other. They weren’t even sure where to start or what all had happened.

 

Freed fluttered his long eyelashes open slowly and yawned. He leaned his cheek against the warm scaly skin and sighed. He wasn’t sure what the time was but he was pretty sure he hadn’t slept long, maybe an hour or two.

Laxus was still sleeping with a growl-like snore, his big dragon head just beside Freed. He smiled slightly and run his slender fingers through the golden mane. Laxus was calm now when he was so tired and sleeping, but what might happen when he would wake up?

Freed frowned his eyebrows worried. What could they do? There had to be some way to turn Laxus back to normal. There had to be!

He got startled when suddenly he heard deep sniffs and those orange eyes opened.

“Laxus, what’s wrong?” Freed asked, though he didn’t actually wait that Laxus would answer.

The dragon lifted his head looking at the large opening at the wall.

“Freed? Are you awake?” they heard Bickslow’s voice. They had decided to keep their distance and stayed few hallways away from them, but were now coming closer.

“Yes, we are”, Freed said and he climbed down on the floor.

“We got company, others found their way here”, the seith mage grinned peeking inside the remains of the living room.

“They did?” Freed said. “That’s good, but -”

His words were cut by large low growling.

“Whoah! You weren’t kidding!” Natsu said as they stepped out and saw Laxus as well. “He’s one big ass electric eel alright!”

“Natsu!” Freed hissed annoyed. “Don’t you _dare_ insult Laxus like that!”

Freed’s angry voice affected Laxus immediately, making him roar fiercely as it seemed to him like Freed didn’t want the others to come closer. The large paws with their claws crashed the floor as he stood up and Freed could guess what would happen next.

“Quickly! Get out!” he ordered. “Laxus won’t tolerate even slightest risk right now so you better leave!”

Laxus snarled his eyes locked at Natsu and Wendy. Those two were different from the others… They were a threat. He had to protect his mate from them so they wouldn’t cause anything!

“Laxus!”

The lightning dragon was just about to charge forward with his sharp teeth, but stopped immediately when Freed got between him and the enemy that now escaped. The rune mage couldn’t say that he wasn’t scared at all, but he knew Laxus would do anything else but hurt him. He just needed to stay firm and block his fiancé’s way so he couldn’t hurt their friends.

Laxus seemed flabbergasted for a moment but then he just moved his head to go around his mate. Freed took a step aside and blocked him again. Laxus growled and tried to circle Freed by going over him from above, but the swordsman wrapped his arms around the big snout tightly from below, stopping him.

“I need you to calm down”, Freed said, keeping his voice steady and composed. “It’s alright, there is nothing to worry about”, he smiled. “They are friends. They won’t harm us.”

Laxus lowered his head a bit, looking slightly confused at Freed.

“Everything will be alright”, Freed assured gently caressing the mane, not even thinking about how there were a line of sharp teeth just few inches away from his neck.

He sighed, wrapping his arms around Laxus’ head better. At least he wasn’t trying to fight back so he could go after the others.

“Can you feel that?” he whispered as he placed his neck against the scaly cheek. He liked it how it felt against his mark. “There’s nothing to worry about. You can calm down”, he reassured closing his eyes.

Laxus’ growling lowered into a purr and Freed could feel how he relaxed. That was good. Laxus was still capable to understand him, even if not with words. They would work things out.

In some way or another they would solve this mess. There had to be a way for Laxus to return back to normal. Freed refused to even think about it that Laxus might remain as a dragon for the rest of his life. That was just not right! Laxus didn’t deserve that!

Laxus’ body tensed up again and Freed tightened his grab around his head. He would protect Laxus from losing himself to his dragon side any more than he already had! He would return back to normal still.

“You are not a dragon”, he said. “You can still come back. I know you can, Laxus. You just… Need to find yourself again. Remember who you really are. You did it once before, you can do it again.”

Freed leaned more against Laxus, feeling the warmth against his neck and smiled when he felt slight tingling. He always liked that. He chuckled when the big head snuggled against his neck, also enjoying that touch.

Then suddenly Laxus started shrinking and Freed opened his eyes. The lightning dragon was vanishing with tiny little sparks, what then reformed into the familiar figure.

That was now almost crushing Freed and he did his best to keep Laxus standing as the blond man was leaning against him almost limp.

“L-Laxus, I seriously can’t carry you right now”, Freed panted and was relieved when Laxus heard him and obviously with great efforts stood up himself. “And you’re naked”, Freed noticed.

“Wha…?” was a tired grunt.

“Nevermind. Just sit there on the rock”, Freed softly commanded, helping Laxus to sat down.

He looked around and saw the partly ripped dark velvet curtain laying on the floor, grabbed it and wrapped it around Laxus. He got worried when he saw all those horrible bruises, but they could think about them later.

Freed kneeled beside his fiancé, looking at his tired face as Laxus rubbed his eyes trying to shake the sleepiness.

“Are you feeling alright?” the rune mage asked.

“My head hurts like hell”, Laxus grunted. “And I think I have few broken ribs and stuff…”

“What can you remember?”

“Something… My thoughts were kinda messed up, not sure how that all happened. And I’m not entirely sure what all happened after it. Did I hurt anyone?”

“No”, Freed smiled. “Everyone is safe. Do you know where grandfather is?”

“Dunno, didn’t see him after that… Whatever happened. You haven’t seen him?”

“No. But I know he’s not here. We will tell about this to the Magic Council, don’t worry”, Freed assured. “I’m sure they will arrest him after all this.”

Of course it was also possible that Lucados was already dead, buried somewhere in the ruins. But Freed decided it was better if they didn’t think about his whereabouts too much.

“Hey.”

He lifted his gaze back to Laxus, who smirked slightly and kissed him softly.

“I’m glad you’re okay, babe”, the bigger man smiled wearily but happy. “I was worried.”

“I noticed”, Freed chuckled. “I’m glad that you’re alright too now”, he smiled and hugged Laxus, this time feeling those strong arms around him and it felt so nice. He had missed this so much!

“Are you gonna cry?”

“You made me cry.”

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m sorry I left you alone for so long”, Laxus murmured, gently brushing his fingers through the green hair.

“It wasn’t your fault. It was none of us fault”, Freed said shaking his head and sighed. “We don’t need to talk about it right now. Everything is fine again. You need medication.”

“I’m fine, just tired”, Laxus grunted and Freed chuckled.

“After Wendy has treated you at least a little bit, you can rest. But before that we need to find for you at least pants to wear. We can leave back home tomorrow again”, he said.

“Mmm… Back home, I like that”, Laxus purred kissing Freed’s neck softly and inhaled his odour. “After this fucking crappy day it feels like forever since we had a chance sleep at home together in peace.”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “We will be back home soon.”

“Good. Okay, so how did I lose my clothes?”

“I guess they got ripped off when you suddenly changed into a dragon.”

“Damn. I’m not gonna borrow Bickslow’s skirt.”

“I’m sure we can find something from here when we look around enough.”

 


	79. Chapter 79

Roscoe stood near the huge hole at the wall, looking outside as it was starting to get brighter. It was still raining a little bit but obviously it would fade soon and there were lots of fog around the mansion.

They had searched the ruins yesterday but did not find Lucados anywhere. Was he still alive they did not know but they felt safe enough to set a camp inside the mansion after finding an area that was the least damaged. They decided turns who would stay in guard and now it was his turn until others would wake up. That was fine, he had nothing against it to wake up early.

Roscoe huffed when he could see the northern part of the mansion clearly from here. There was almost nothing left of it. He had to admit, he was very impressed. He could only imagine what kind of a battle Bickslow and others had to go through here.

Immediately he pouted as he remembered the seith mage. Damn, he would never confess it to anyone if ever asked but he really was worried for a moment when he saw the condition of the mansion. When he saw Bickslow and Evergreen alive he was so relieved he couldn’t almost believe it.

“Shit...” he grumbled almost silently. Guess he was doomed to worry about Bickslow no matter if he didn’t even know him well.

Roscoe tensed up when he heard steps and turned around. A twitch of anger because of his thoughts earlier was unavoidable when he saw Bickslow’s grinning face.

“What do you want?” he grunted and turned around to keep looking outside.

“Good morning to you too, baby”, Bickslow cackled stepping beside the slightly shorter man. His arm was supported with a sling and he had left his visor inside the room where men were sleeping. “Still raining? Man, it’s not gonna be fun to walk back to the town from here.”

“It will stop soon”, Roscoe said.

“It’s almost like Jish-Ahrna was still here”, Bickslow said. When they had set up their camp, they had told everything that had happened more thoroughly and with time.

“Haven’t seen anyone while I’ve been here”, Roscoe muttered.

“I wonder what happened to him and Moranga. Did they get their freedom?”

“I believe so.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, for what you told us about that Dreamcatcher, he seems like a total lunatic but what I understood is that he follows the rules no matter what. I don’t say that I understand this demon thing that’s going on in this family but they use contracts, right? He said that if he loses the battle, they would be free. He lost so they are free since it’s a rule.”

“I like to believe that too”, Bicks grinned.

He looked at Roscoe, whose face darkened with annoyance as the seith mage was smiling so damn brightly.

“So why are _you_ here, baby?” Bickslow sang with a sweet tone.

“Stop talking”, Roscoe growled crossing his arms.

“I know, you’re here because you _caaare._ ”

“I hate you.”

“You were _sooo_ worried about me and you wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

“I’m gonna drown you in that puddle of water, I swear to god.”

For a moment they stood there in silence, only hearing how water pattered the ground softly.

“I care about you too, baby”, was a silent happy whisper and Roscoe rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to gather some wood”, he snarled stomping away from the younger man.

“Such a good boy”, Bickslow cackled imitating Roxanne and walked back towards their room.

 

Freed woke up when he heard door closing and he sat up on his bed. It seems that Bickslow came back and went back to sleep on the pillows he had piled on the floor.

It was still early morning and Freed felt really happy because he managed to actually wake up to see it. He smiled looking around, seeing others sleeping where they could as there had been only one bed in the room. He wasn’t even going to try and deny it, he was a little bit smug when it had been clear that he would be the one sleeping in that bed obviously. Others had to sleep in the couch or chairs or like Natsu on the floor. Not that it seemed to bother him at all.

The rune mage was about to stand up when suddenly strong arms caught his waist so quick it almost startled him. He looked at Laxus who was sleeping beside him as the bed was big enough for both of them. Laxus seemed only half awake and was murmuring something, making Freed chuckle. Finally the blonde was starting to wake up properly, opening his eyes.

“Where are you going?” he grunted with a yawn.

“Good morning, Laxus”, Freed said ruffling those blond hair slightly. “Everything is fine, you can let go of me. I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I’m going with you”, Laxus grumbled sitting up as well.

“Seriously? Not letting me go even to the bathroom by myself?” Freed asked standing up and he took his coat.

“Not here, I still don’t want to take any risk that your grandpa might appear again”, Laxus said taking his shirt. “We didn’t find any traces of him so he must be somewhere, licking his wounds. Heh, I hope I managed to hurt him good.”

“Laxus, he is still my grandfather and you must understand I don’t want to hear something like that”, Freed huffed. “No matter what he did.”

“Sorry, babe.”

“It’s alright. I understand why you want to hurt him, but it’s just so complicated for me no matter how rationally I try to think this”, Freed said as they walked out of the room. “It’s hard, you know.”

“I know, believe me”, Laxus said. “I might not want anything to do with Ivan anymore and I don’t care if someone even kills him. But it would still hurt. That asshole is my dad and nothing can change that. Lucados is the only parent you have left and even if he is such a bastard, you still don’t want to hurt him. That is one thing I love about you, Freed. You’re actually a very forgiving person”, he smiled to his fiancé. “Ruthless and merciless if needed, but in the end very forgiving.”

“Thank you”, Freed smiled.

“But no matter how forgiving, I’m gonna eat your old man’s head if he shows his face again.”

“Well, I guess I just have to accept that.”

“By the way, your grandfather was the one who taught you how to fight, right?”

“Yes, he trained me ever since I was old enough”, Freed nodded. “How did you guess?”

“While we were fighting I noticed how he moved just like you”, Laxus said. “He had lots of same traits as you have and it makes sense since he was the one who trained you. You got those same habits and traits.”

“Like what?” Freed asked curiously.

“I have noticed it a long time ago that when we are sparring and you are about to attack, you take a second to think for the next move what to do after the first attack. It’s like you never just attack and then think what to do. You always have some kind of a plan.”

“That’s not true, sometimes I have to be spontaneous.”

“Well, doesn’t matter now. It worked well for me when I noticed that thing. I could predict his movements since by now I know exactly how you fight”, Laxus smirked. “He obviously didn’t expect that to happen.”

After using the bathroom, Freed stopped by the window and looked at the northern side of the mansion.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Laxus asked frowning.

“Nothing”, Freed said. “I was just thinking about the Chamber.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been trying to come up with how to seal it, since we can’t destroy it. This far I have no clue how to do that… My runes would do it for a while, but if something happens to me they will disappear. And someone might rewrite them.”

“Not anyone can do that”, Laxus snorted. “If you use your strongest runes, like hell someone could rewrite them just like that.”

“I’m happy that you’re giving so much credit to my magic.”

“Of course, I know you’re strong, Freed. We all know. Heck, you should definitely be an S-class mage already, but -”

“If you are once again going to say something about how I let Cana and Lucy win, I will sit on you. I’m big enough so you couldn’t even breathe then.”

“You’re not big”, Laxus assured immediately kissing Freed’s cheek. He had learned something. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you, even though I know that was a lie it still feels really good”, Freed smiled. “I think I better go take a last look of that Chamber, just in case I missed something.”

Laxus grumbled but he knew Freed wouldn’t change his mind.

“Fine, but I’m gonna go with you”, he finally grunted.

“Of course, darling”, Freed smiled.

After informing Roscoe where they would go, they stepped inside the blackened ruins of the north wing. It felt odd for Freed, he had always hated this building his whole life but it still made him sad when he saw in how bad condition it was when it was starting to get brighter and rain had stopped.

“Here we are”, Freed said looking at the huge columns that were still standing and even though there were few rocks inside it, the stairway down was in a good shape. “Let’s go down”, Freed said and they stepped on stairs.

Laxus used some sparks to give them light until they got to the big door. Freed grabbed the metallic round handle, pulling the door slowly open.

“What the…?” Laxus growled instantly when there were two figures inside the Chamber.

Moranga and Jish-Ahrna were standing at the middle of the Chamber as they opened the door more. Neither one of them did anything, they just stared at them in the silence.

“I don’t think they are hostile towards us”, Freed said to Laxus. “This might be the only place where they can appear now that grandfather can’t form a link with them.”

“But why are they here?” Laxus asked, looking around in the Chamber. Freed had already explained that he couldn’t enter and he didn’t like it, but at least he could guard the door while Freed stepped inside.

“Did you get free?” the rune mage asked and Moranga and Jish-Ahrna both nodded. “That is good to hear”, he smiled. “Now you don’t need to do things you don’t want anymore and can return at your home.”

Both demons stayed silent and did not move, just staring at Freed who got confused.

“I don’t understand...” he said. “You are finally free to do whatever you want. Are you suggesting that you want to stay with us?” he asked surprised.

Jish-Ahrna and Moranga both nodded, almost eagerly.

“But there is no need, you can return home if you want”, Freed assured. “You don’t need to do that just because the Old Contract.”

“I don’t think they do it because of that”, Laxus said crossing his arms. “They want to go with you. I’m sure they were amazed how well you work with Umanor and Valdeghar. They want something like that too.”

“Is that true?” Freed asked looking at the two tall demons who nodded again. “Well… Of course if you really want that”, he smiled. “You’re welcome to join us. But for that we need to do rituals and form the contracts.”

Moranga lifted his hands covered by sheet and two parchments made by rocks formed right in front of Freed. He took them and even though they were formed by rocks, they were just as thin as parchment and bendy. But they were heavy.

“You even did the contracts ready”, Freed chuckled and he was really touched because Moranga and Jish-Ahrna were so eager to follow him. “And you even signed them, everything ready for me to just accept them.”

“They really want to be your friends”, Laxus smirked.

“Alright, I accept your contracts”, Freed nodded to the demons. “Now we need to go through the rituals. Laxus, would you please close the door?”

“What? Why?” Laxus asked.

“Everything will be fine, it is a simple ritual but it is better if the door is closed so there won’t be anything to disturb me. Everything needs to go exactly right or there might become problems later.”

“What problems?”

“You don’t need to worry about it I know what I’m doing, I have done it before”, Freed assured. “Just wait beside the door, everything will be fine”, he said and even though he didn’t like the idea, Laxus still closed the door and leaned his back against it.

He had no idea what kind of rituals Freed had to do, but obviously he wasn’t going to show them even for him. Freed was careful like that. He was just making sure that no-one else but him would know these rituals that were necessary so cooperation with demons could work out.

Laxus just waited and listened what he heard from inside the Chamber. Not much and he couldn’t understand what Freed was saying. Finally it got silent and for a moment he was getting nervous if something happened.

He was just about to open the door, when Freed pushed it open with a smile.

“Everything is done”, he said.

“They’re with you?” Laxus asked looking around, but he couldn’t see Jish-Ahrna or Moranga.

“Yes, but not in a way you might think”, Freed chuckled. “It’s not like I put them in to my pockets or something.”

“You never know”, Laxus huffed amused.

“We have still a long way to go before we can work together just as well as with Valdeghar and Umanor. We need to get to know each other and test our limits and trust. But I’m sure it will be worth it, they are willing to cooperate so befriending and bonding with them will be easier than it was with Valdeghar.”

“Are you done with this place now?”

“Yes, I think there’s nothing left I can do for it”, Freed sighed as they closed the doors and stepped up the stairs. “At least now. I put some runes inside, to warn if anyone steps inside but I can’t do nothing stronger than that right now.”

“That’s still something, babe. Don’t worry about it. If you want, I can crash the rest of these ruins around it so the rocks cover the entrance.”

“Would you do that?” Freed asked surprised. “At least the door wouldn’t then be that easy to find.”

“I was gonna do it no matter if you agreed to it or not”, Laxus said when they got back to the hallway. “Gonna break down this whole part of the mansion.”

“You’re still recovering after what all happened yesterday, you should ask Natsu and others help you”, Freed said when they walked outside, where sun was now shining brightly. “I’m sure they would be happy to help.”

“Not hard to imagine”, Laxus grumbled. “Though, I could just simply -”

“You better rest, we still have a long way to travel home by train.”

“That’s gonna be super fun… But if I just -”

“No, Laxus.”

“Fine, dammit...”

 


	80. Chapter 80

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 80 chapters. 80! And I have enjoyed writing every single chapter even though there has been of course good times and bad times to write. That is why it almost kills me when I have to tell you guys that this story is almost over. There will be only few chapters anymore. I’ve been thinking it over many times and I came to conclusion that is the best solution.
> 
> What brings us to the next topic: I will continue this story, but with a new name (that I don’t yet know but I will tell it to you at the last chapter) and with a new plot. I will make a few years time skip, depending on how I want to continue this story.
> 
> Okay so here comes the question for you guys reading this story: would you be interested to read more about Bickslow, Roscoe and Roxanne? There is so much I could still write about them but it’s just too much for this story. And there’s the book Roxanne gave for them, I haven’t forgotten it ^^ I’m just waiting for the perfect moment when to use it for the story. So if the next story, after few years time skip, would tell more about them would that be okay?
> 
> Btw, I don’t really have anything decided and I don’t know what will happen in the next story, but hey, I got this far with just throwing some stuff together and seeing what might happen x’D I like that, I will continue doing that.
> 
> And in the end, thank you so much for all of your lovely and supportive comments and all the kudos! I love you all, you’re my precious little chocolate chip cookies ^^

After everyone had eaten and they packed all their stuff, they stepped outside the mansion. Laxus and the Thunder Legion stood aside as they were still recovering while others started to destroy what was left of the northern part of the mansion. Roscoe was staying with them, since he wasn’t really fond of destroying things.

“Man, that seems like so much fun”, Bickslow groaned.

“No fair!” ‘babies’ wailed.

“I don’t believe this will be the last time you get to destroy something”, Roscoe huffed.

“What if they don’t do it like they should?”

“They only need to crumble walls to cover the entrance of the Chamber, I don’t think that is too complicated”, Freed chuckled.

“Though, it is like something is missing since Gajeel is not there with them”, Evergreen said.

“He can’t help it, he wants to stay with Levy”, Laxus said his bandaged arms crossed.

They waited until others were ready and Freed looked at the mansion that had only one third of it standing anymore. And even that part was battered and not suitable for living anymore. Yep, everyone could see it clearly that Fairy Tail visited here.

“Well, I hope there is no need to come back here again”, he said.

“I hope that too, babe”, Laxus said. “Let’s go home now”, he said and Freed nodded, turning his back to the old building that was now free for the forest to take over.

They did not rush while walking towards the nearest town. When they got there, Freed got surprised when he saw their mansion’s servants and guards. After talking a while with them and explaining the situation, Freed felt guilty as he had no other choice but to announce that there wouldn’t be no more mansion where to return.

“I have to somehow compensate this for them”, he sighed as they headed towards the train. All those sad faces… Every one of them had just lost a job. Where would they find new jobs? And they had also lost homes as most of them had lived in the mansion.

“We will talk about this to the Magic Council”, Erza assured with a smile. “They will arrange help for them, make sure that they can get new jobs and homes so don’t worry, Freed.”

“I still feel responsible for all of this”, Freed said. “I didn’t even think how much this would affect other people. Those people were living their lives and suddenly everything turned upside down, some of them have been working in that mansion for generations and I just tossed them out like nothing!”

“You didn’t do that”, Lucy reassured. “I know how that feels, you’re not one to blame.”

“Yeah, if your grandpa wouldn’t have started that nonsense, this wouldn’t have happened”, Bickslow grinned. “Everyone would still be at the mansion and continuing their lives in peace.”

Freed smiled, but he wasn’t yet fully convinced. He just couldn’t shrug this off and continue like nothing happened…

“We will come up with something”, Laxus said patting Freed’s shoulder. “We will help them some way, don’t worry about it too much now.”

“I’ll try”, the rune mage nodded.

After purchasing the tickets they all stepped on the train. Freed sat next to Laxus who had to take a place near window, trying so hard to fight against the nausea. They all found their places eventually and the train started moving.

For a while they just sat there in silence just enjoying each other’s presence, when Freed slightly flinched. He looked around, seeing Bickslow and Evergreen talking with others and they were alone on their seats.

“Laxus”, he said taking the bigger man’s hand and Laxus opened his eyes as he had been listening to his music.

Freed smiled and placed that big hand on the other side of his stomach where he had felt the movements. For a while Laxus seemed confused, but then his eyes widened.

“Did you feel it?” Freed chuckled, when Laxus quickly grabbed his earphones off and placed his other hand on the big stomach too.

“Yeah”, he said, almost dumbfounded. They waited a little while more and Laxus smiled widely. “He’s moving there alright”, he said and Freed smiled.

“It started few weeks ago”, he said. “Feels amazing, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, this makes everything far more real.”

“Oh, you thought I grew this belly just for fun?”

“You know what I mean”, Laxus laughed. “This feels amazing”, he smiled when he felt another kick. It was nothing more than just a nudge, but it could have been just as well the most powerful attack ever done because of how much it affected him. He could have burst with joy and pride right there.

Freed smiled happily when he saw all that in Laxus’ orange eyes.

“He’s gonna grow strong”, the lightning dragon slayer smirked.

“Absolutely”, Freed nodded.

“And wise, he’s gonna learn so much.”

“I truly hope so.”

“And he won’t be scared of beetles”, Laxus teased, making Freed pout. “Sorry, just teasing you.”

“It’s alright, I know. I just hope that if he’s going to be a dragon slayer, he won’t get just as easily motion sickness as you do.”

Green colour rised on Laxus’ face immediately when he remembered where they were. He had been so excited for a second that he didn’t even remember they were on a train.

“Oh no, did I make you remember that we are on a train?” Freed asked oh so worried and repentant. “I am _really_ sorry, Laxus.”

“Fuck you”, Laxus grunted. But guess he deserved this.

Again there was a silence and finally Laxus looked at Freed.

“Hey, you really think it’s true that babies can hear things before they’re born?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s why I have kept reading to him every evening before going to sleep”, Freed smiled. “I told you this earlier, why are you asking it again?”

Laxus grunted and took off his headphone lacrimas and put them on Freed’s belly, turning music on.

“Maybe he likes some good old rock and roll”, he smiled. “Never too early to hear it.”

“That’s really sweet actually”, Freed chuckled. “But now you don’t have music to listen to during the journey.”

“That’s alright, I can live with that.”

 

The train arrived at Magnolia and they stepped out.

“Thank god that’s over”, Natsu groaned and Wendy nodded. Laxus said nothing but Freed knew that was just so he could keep his guts inside him.

“It feels good to be back Magnolia again”, Freed smiled. “I’m happy to notice that nothing has changed.” He actually was really scared what would happen to Magnolia while his grandfather’s spell was on.

“Welcome home, sweetie”, Ever smiled. “Though, we didn’t even notice how much time had passed while we slept.”

“I’m happy to be back home”, Freed smiled. “Let’s go to the Guild, everybody.”

“Yeah!” they cheered and started their journey across the town.

Here and there the townsfolk were still talking about what had happened. Everyone were just as confused of what had happened. Some people of course pointed out it had something to do with Fairy Tail somehow and they of course weren’t wrong… Not that they would say anything about it.

Finally they could see the familiar building and the old sign with the text ‘FAIRY TAIL’ written on it. They stepped through the gates and Freed smiled when he saw those old doors, just waiting for them to open them.

“Let’s go inside then!” Natsu grinned and he busted the doors open. “We’re back!” he yelled with bright smile.

They all followed Natsu in the Hall and Freed smiled when he saw the faces of his fellow guild mates. They were surprised, happy and relieved.

“They found them!” Romeo cheered.

“Everybody’s home again!” Max yelled and others joined with happy cheers.

Makarov smiled looking how everyone gathered around the group that had returned.

“I’m really glad that they are okay”, he said sitting on a bar counter like he usually did. “The whole family is home again.”

“I’m happy that everything went well”, Roxanne smiled sitting on her bar stool. “Though it seems like they had to go through some fights.”

“Nothing they can’t handle”, Makarov guffawed. “These kids are strong!”

“Stupid humans, always making others worry”, Porlyusica huffed, though she did smile a little.

It took a while but finally they started to calm down. Porlyusica of course wanted to check on Freed’s condition and so they waited at the Hall.

“How’s everything?” Laxus asked when Freed returned soon.

“Just fine”, he smiled. “No need to worry.”

“That is good to hear”, Makarov smiled.

“What were you all talking about?” Freed asked curiously as he sat down beside Laxus.

“Actually, I was just offering if Roxanne and Roscoe would like to join our guild”, Makarov explained and Roxanne chuckled.

“It might be fun”, she said. “What do you think, Roscoe?” he asked from his grandson, who grumbled something but didn’t say anything against the joining. “We will talk about it and tell our decision later.”

“Alright, take your time with it”, Makarov smiled. “For now, let’s put everything else aside and just celebrate that everyone’s okay!” he said and everyone cheered. “Let’s not worry about anything tonight!”

“Yeah!” they all yelled in unison.

 


	81. Chapter 81

Few days went by quickly as Freed was just enjoying the fact that he was home again. With Laxus. For the first two days they did hardly anything else than just cuddled at home. In the third day Freed prepared a big dinner and they even invited Bickslow, Evergreen, Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor over.

After the dinner they just sat around a while, until the door was knocked. Before Freed would get on his feet, Laxus already got up and stepped to the door opening it.

“Good evening, Laxus”, Erza nodded politely and they were all pretty surprised.

“Erza”, Laxus said.

“Master asked me to find you. He wants us both to come to the Guild House.”

“What? Why?”

“He did not tell me the reason and I didn’t pry. I’m sure he has his reasons.”

“Guess I have no other choice”, Laxus muttered. “Gonna be there in five minutes.”

“I will then go ahead”, Erza nodded and she turned as Laxus closed the door.

“Ohh, maybe he finally wants to announce which one of you guys will be the next master?” Bickslow grinned.

“Laxus! Laxus! Laxus!” ‘babies’ cheered happily.

“Dunno, but I guess we will find it out soon”, Laxus muttered.

“Well you better go then, honeycomb”, Roxanne said. “We will take care of sugar while you’re gone.”

“Will you be alright?” Laxus asked from Freed who nodded.

“Of course, there’s nothing to worry about”, the rune mage assured. “Just let us know if it takes longer.”

“Kvestor, you go with him”, Roxanne commanded.

“Me?” Kvestor asked astonished almost dropping his cone hat.

“Yeah, you make sure everything will be alright, you chubby cat. If things take longer, you can come and inform us about it.”

“Oh, that’s true”, Kvestor said. “What do you say, Mr. Dreyar?” he smiled all too happily because he could accompany the famous Laxus Dreyar.

“Uh… I guess that’s okay”, Laxus grumbled not really knowing what he should say. “But I make sure it won’t take long”, he promised to Freed, giving him a quick peck on his lips.

“So, since we have time while walking”, Kvestor said following Laxus with his wings to the door where the blond put the shoes on. “There is some questions I have wanted to ask.”

“Fuck...” Laxus groaned stepping outside and slammed the door shut behind them.

“Damn, is it just me or did Laxus find his exceed?” Bickslow snorted.

“You mean other than Freed?” Ever giggled.

“Har har, that joke is getting old”, Freed snapped and he stood up. “Help me clean the table you two.”

“I’m still too stuffed, baby”, Bickslow groaned.

“Get up, you lazy noodle”, Roxanne snapped and Bickslow almost jumped on his feet. “You gonna make your pregnant friend do the cleaning after he made you such a good meal?”

“No, Madam”, Bickslow said immediately and went to take all the plates to the sink. Roscoe snickered smugly looking at the seith mage.

“And what are you smiling?” Roxanne said glaring at his grandson who stood up immediately.

“Nothing, Madam”, he assured and went to help Bickslow right away.

“Good boys”, Roxanne smiled. “You just relax, sugar. Cutie can make us some tea.”

“Of course, Madam”, Ever smiled standing up and she went to the kitchen as well. Freed huffed and he sat back down, secretly very happy that he didn’t need to clean anything. After a meal like that, he really didn’t feel like doing anything yet.

“That is not really necessary”, he assured. “I could have also handled them later.”

“Pish posh, just relax”, Roxanne cackled.

 

In the next morning Freed woke up when Laxus was shaking his shoulder.

“Huh? What?” he yawned confused, looking at the clock. “How are you up this early?” he asked.

“We have to go to the Guild House”, Laxus said. “Sorry I had to wake you up.”

“It’s alright”, Freed smiled and he sat up.

“You can take a shower while I do some sandwiches for us to eat”, Laxus said kissing his mate and smiled when it made Freed so happy.

He went downstairs and took out what he needed. Even he couldn’t fuck up with sandwiches as long as he didn’t try doing anything too fancy or shit. Just something simple. After Freed was ready and came in the kitchen, they started eating.

“Why are we going to the Guild this early?” Freed asked. “Does it have something to do with yesterday?”

Laxus didn’t tell them anything what happened in the Guild when he returned with Kvestor. Of course Freed was curious, but he knew he would find out when it was time.

“Yeah”, Laxus grumbled. “Everyone’s gonna be there.”

“So it is about you and Erza, Makarov must have made his decision”, Freed said. “Do you know it yet?”

“Yes.”

That really surprised Freed as his eyes widened. Laxus just kept eating like nothing, just looking out of the window.

“So… Will it be -”

“I’m not gonna tell”, Laxus cut him off. “Gramps will tell it to everyone. He told me an Erza so we would be prepared.”

“Oh… That does make sense”, Freed nodded and Laxus chuckled.

“Try to bear with your curiosity a while longer, okay?” he said. “Let’s just eat and leave.”

After the breakfast they headed towards the Guild House. They stepped inside and almost everyone was already present. Freed looked around for the first thing and spotted Levy with Gajeel at the other side of the Hall. Since they were both worried that some day Laxus and Gajeel would start a fight, they had made a deal. They would stay at the other sides of the Hall with their dragon slayers. 

Freed nodded as a greeting when their eyes met and Levy smiled, continuing talking with Lucy and others.

“Let’s go sit down”, Freed smiled to Laxus who was frowning because that tiny little contact between Freed and Levy. But he didn’t worry about it, he just followed his mate and they sat down at the other side of the Hall. The whole Guild knew about this arrangement and everyone agreed it was for the best.

Soon after that the rest of the Guild arrived as well. Many of them were confused why they had to gather so early in the morning.

“I bet it has nothing to do with anything that we had to arrive so early”, Bickslow snorted.

“I’m pretty sure you’re right”, Ever huffed.

They waited and talked with others. Freed had ordered some tea and slapped away Bickslow’s hand when the seith mage tried to snatch one of his biscuits he had on his plate.

“Order your own snacks”, he finally snapped after third attempt to steal his food.

“I can’t, I’m broke”, Bicks whined. “Give me just one biscuit, baby.”

“No. And you shouldn’t use your money like that. You should try saving sometimes so you could also – Laxus!” Freed almost yelled when the blond took one of the biscuits and ate it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask Mira to bring more of them over”, Laxus snickered. “You can have as many as you want.”

All the chatter went silent when Makarov hopped on the bar counter and cleared his throat.

“Good morning, you brats”, he smiled. “It is so nice to see you all up and gathered here this early in the morning.”

He let his stare wander all around the Hall as everyone waited him to talk.

“Now then, there is no need to make any long speeches, let’s just go straight to the point”, he chuckled. “Erza, Laxus. Come over”, he called.

Freed looked at Laxus who stood up and walked over, as Erza got up on the other side of the Hall. They both stopped in front of Makarov, looking at the old man.

“I gave it a long thought and read your reports over and over”, Master said and the tension in the Hall was so thick you could cut it with a knife. “The final decision was not easy. I’m not lying when I’m saying how proud I am of both of you”, Makarov smiled and Freed could see how the corner of Laxus’ mouth slightly pulled up when he heard his grandfather’s praise. “I’m more than happy to say that both of you are indeed very good choices to be the next Master. But only one can be the Master at a time.”

He went silent to build up the suspense. Freed almost chuckled when he saw vein in Laxus’ forehead as this was clearly annoying him, but Erza just seemed amused.

“Just say it, old man”, Laxus finally snapped.

“Eh? What?” Makarov blinked. “Oh, yeah, I just somehow ended up thinking other things”, he guffawed. “So you want to know?”

“YES!” was a loud yell coming from all of them, making Makarov only laugh louder.

“Very well then!” he said. “I’m happy to tell you, that the next Master of Fairy Tail will be my grandson, Laxus Dreyar!” he announced more than happily.

All of them cheered and Laxus seemed more like he was pouting.

“Go, Laxus!” Bickslow howled his ‘babies’ dancing around them.

“Laxus made it! Laxus is the new Master!” Ever squealed hugging Freed tightly.

The rune mage could only nod as he was still amazed. Laxus was really their new Master. Laxus might have said that he had no interest being the next Master but he knew better. The lightning mage didn’t demand to be the next master anymore, but Freed knew he was going to do his ultimate best if he ever would finally earn that title. He was so happy for him.

“Okay, just shut up finally!” Laxus roared when a whole five minutes there was loud cheering, yelling and shouting all around the Hall. For a moment it seemed like a new party was already starting.

They all went silent when Laxus’ voice finally reached their ears.

“Good”, Laxus grumbled and Makarov chuckled. “Okay, so that was Gramps’ choice. For the first thing, when I’m not around – because like hell I will spend all my days just sitting in that fucking office all the time – Erza will be the one making decisions”, he said and Erza nodded. It seemed that they had talked about this earlier and made this deal.

“Laxus will be our Master and I won’t have that title, but we have agreed that when Laxus is not around, I will take care of things”, Erza said.

They were all surprised and maybe confused because this decision. It was really unusual.

“Is there anyone who has something against this?” Laxus growled and stared at his Guild with a frown. No one dared to argue. “That’s what I thought. It’s a really simple arrangement. I wanna still go out for missions and Erza will be in charge then.”

“You are really thinking about going to missions when being a Master?” Makarov asked.

“Sorry, Gramps. New Master, new rules”, Laxus smirked and Erza chuckled.

“Everything will be fine”, the red haired mage assured. “We can’t force Laxus to stay and do paperworks day after another anyway.”

“I’d rather kill myself”, Laxus snorted. “Okay, we have still some stuff to go through so listen up!” he said turning back towards others in the Hall. “S-class Trials: cancelled.”

“ _WHAAAT_?!” Bickslow yelled and others were stunned as well. “Laxus!” the seith mage roared almost jumping on the table. “Why would you do that?!”

“Shut up and get down you idiot, before you break yourself”, Laxus grunted looking at his old friend. Bickslow was doing much better, but needed still some healing and they all knew he wouldn’t be able to continue in trials. “The Trials are over.”

“We will try again in next year”, Erza assured when Bickslow slumped on his chair. “It is only a year.”

“Okay so that’s over, what was the third thing?” Laxus grumbled frowning.

“I believe you wanted to invite four new members in Fairy Tail”, Erza reminded.

“Oh, right”, Laxus said and they were all surprised. Four new members?

Freed was confused when Laxus walked over and he quickly stood up from his chair.

“What is it, Laxus?” he asked when the lightning dragon slayer stopped in front of him.

“Would they want to join?” the blonde asked and Freed blinked.

“I… I don’t know”, the rune mage said. “We have never discussed about something like that.” He smiled. “But I’m sure they would like that.”

“Okay. Can you call them out?”

Freed nodded and he stepped further from the table. Others immediately took their distance, though no one really understood what was going on. Freed took his sword and used it’s tip to draw runes that formed up four circles on the floor. He smiled when links were created and he felt how the demons answered to it with their own magic so they could make things easier for Freed.

First one to appear was of course Umanor. Valdeghar followed after him almost right away and there were murmur’s around the Hall. Everyone recognized those forms. Some of their guild mates were slightly worried what might happen next.

Third demon was huge, slim but muscular. Freed smiled looking at Jish-Ahrna who was nothing like he used to be. Long arms had muscles, scaly skin and long claws were shiny and healthy, there was even a fluffy dark mane and dark onyx eyes looked around curiously.

Last but not least was Moranga who appeared with a sparkly ‘poof’ inside his circle. If Jish-Ahrna was looking different, it was almost impossible to recognize Moranga. There was no old, dusty sheet covering him anymore. There was a colourful little demon, looking more like made out of rubber than flesh and blood. He had long arms and legs, his colourful fur was like he was wearing somekind of a ridiculous old fashioned clothes. His rainbow coloured hair formed a big brim hat with feathers and he had a huge smile over his face.

Freed chuckled when seeing how others looked stunned, confused and even curious. Laxus smiled and he stepped in front of the four demons who locked their gazes towards the new Master of Fairy Tail.

“Are you guys interested?” Laxus asked. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t have the guild marks as well just like the rest of us.”

The four demons looked at each other. They all nodded obviously excited and Freed smiled.

“That was really thoughtful”, Freed said to Laxus, when Mirajane came over with the guild mark stamp.

“Just thought that they might like it”, Laxus said. “They are part of this guild just like any one of us others, right?”

“You are absolutely right”, Freed smiled, looking how Mirajane gave all four demons a stamp where they wanted it. “Who knows what might still happen once we just train a little more. One day they might not even need the link anymore to appear when ever they want to do so.”

“That’s exactly what I thought”, Laxus chuckled, seeing how Asuka grabbed Moranga’s hands and pulled him along to meet all the other members. That girl really didn’t get that easily scared. “I knew you wouldn’t stop with just this. And they wouldn’t either. And I kinda felt bad for Moranga and Jish-Ahrna after learning how things really were for them.”

“I understand”, Freed smiled. “This place is perfect for them.”

 


	82. Chapter 82

Few more days went by as the Guild get used to its new Master, just as Laxus was trying to get used of being a Master. He was already annoyed with all the paperwork he had to go through, but Freed stood by his side and helped him as much as he could. Of course Makarov did the same, guiding Laxus through all the work but mostly it just ended up with both Dreyars arguing loudly and slamming doors.

Another thing that made Laxus annoyed was that he had no other choice but to wake up early now – for him it was waking up before noon – and head to the Guild, since you could never know what might happen and when. Since Freed understood how hard it was for the lightning dragon slayer to just leave him at home – and he didn’t like being apart either – he had decided to get up early too no matter how much he might want to sleep more. He also knew how Laxus would react if something happened while they were apart, so it was for safety too. He could always take naps at the office, even if he was still trying hard not to do that.

That morning they were eating the breakfast at the usual time, Laxus drinking his third cup of coffee and Freed drinking his tea. He was more than happy that the morning sickness was finally letting go and he could again drink normal tea and not Porlyusica’s herbal tea.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asked when he put last of the cleaned dishes away.

“Yeah, though we have to go somewhere else first”, Laxus said standing up and taking his dark coat.

“Alright”, Freed nodded and he took his own black coat. Even that coat was starting to get small and he hated it. “Is it far?”

“No, just nearby”, Laxus assured and they stepped outside.

Freed looked around with a smile while they walked. There was no more any signs of Lucados’ spell and the town was again working like it should. People were out doing their daily stuff, kids were getting in school, one elder couple were sitting together near the canal and talking.

“Where are we going?” Freed finally asked looking at his fiancé.

“We’re almost there”, Laxus assured, not saying anything more and Freed huffed pouting a little bit because of that.

And just like he said, they walked less than a minute and stopped finally. Freed looked at the house and he realised what was going on.

“Isn’t this the house we saw in the advertisement?” the rune mage asked looking at Laxus. “A little while before all that...”

“Yes”, Laxus nodded. “You wanna see it?” he smirked taking out the key and Freed’s eyes widened. “Relax, I didn’t buy it yet”, he laughed giving his mate a reassuring kiss. “The owner gave me the keys so we can check if this is the place we want.”

“Oh… Of course”, Freed said and now he felt slightly silly. Of course Laxus wouldn’t do something like buying or renting a house just like that. That would be insane. It was for them both so Freed had just as much of a right to see it and say his opinion if it was the right place.

He groaned almost ready to ruffle his hair as he felt so stupid that he even dared to think Laxus would just decide all the things without considering how he felt. Laxus would never do something like that!

“Hey, don’t go overthinking whatever there is going on in your head”, Laxus said as he noticed the quickly rising depression. “Come on, babe. Let’s just go inside”, he chuckled and they opened the decorative little gate to the yard.

They stepped inside the house that was empty and looked around. There was good amount of space, really nice living room and kitchen combination with lots of light because of the big windows. Backyard was not that big but it was still really nice and there was enough room to play around. Bathroom was also really spacious with a big tub and a shower.

“This looks really good”, Freed smiled. “It takes only five minutes to walk over to the Guild from here.”

“Yeah. You wanna see the upstairs?” Laxus asked and Freed nodded, following him up the stairs that were right across the front door.

On the hallway there were four doors, three of them led to the bedrooms and behind the fourth door there were stairs to the attic. Freed remembered how it was mentioned that the attic was easy to renovate so it could be used as a library or similar if they so wanted. And yes, he really liked that idea.

“Can we check the rooms too?” Freed asked, since the doors were closed.

“Yes, we can look around as much as we want, but we have to return the keys to the owner by the noon”, Laxus said. “You wanna see the master bedroom first?” he smirked.

“It wouldn’t feel like home if it wasn’t the way we would feel comfortable”, Freed chuckled.

Laxus opened the door to the master bedroom and Freed stepped in. The room was big which was good. There were also a big closet but the third door made him confused.

“We could have our own bathroom?” he gasped as he opened the door. It wasn’t as big as the bathroom in downstairs but still really comfortable.

“What, aren’t you used to have own bathroom since you have grown up in those big ass mansions?” Laxus asked amused because of that reaction.

“This is different! This is _our_ house. I can hardly even remember it anymore how it feels when you don’t need to share a bathroom with someone else.”

“I’m still here, you know...”

“I know, but you know what I mean”, Freed chuckled caressing Laxus’ broad chest. “I have to say, I’m really starting to like this house”, he hummed happily.

“Good to hear”, Laxus smiled brushing his fingers over Freed’s cheek. “You wanna see the two other bedrooms?”

“Of course”, Freed said and they went back to the hallway.

Laxus opened the next door and let Freed step in. The rune mage looked around, the room was nice but he got confused when he saw something at the corner of it.

“Is that supposed to be here?” he asked pointing at the furniture covered by sheet.

“Yeah”, Laxus said stepping beside it. “It took a little while to talk the owner over so I could bring it here before showing this place to you, even though it wasn’t sure that we would get this place but I just thought it could be a nice surprise”, he said and took off the sheet.

Freed blinked. It was a cradle. It was really old, there was hardly any paint even left and there was few simple little carvings that were almost invisible by now. It was obvious that this cradle was decades old.

He looked at Laxus confused and the lightning mage huffed slightly blushing.

“It’s kind of a family heirloom”, he muttered. “Gramps wanted me to dig it up from his attic from the middle of the other junk there is, so we could maybe use it too. He told me that Yuri bought it.”

“Makarov’s father?” Freed asked his eyes widened.

“Same guy.”

“It’s obvious that even if it’s old, it has been taken care of and it has been used. So… Did you maybe…?”

“Fuck”, Laxus groaned his cheeks turning more red. “I told that old geezer I didn’t want to bring that thing over!” he growled.

“You used this too?” Freed almost shouted his eyes shining happily looking at the old cradle. It was really hard to imagine that towering man being so small once that he could sleep in this.

“It’s ugly as hell but guess it’s just as good as any cradle, right?” Laxus grumbled. “At least we don’t need to buy that item then. I don’t know anything about decorating kids room and shit but guess this is at least something, right?”

Freed looked at the old cradle that was just waiting so someone might once again feel the safety of it while it could softly lull that tiny person to sleep. He touched the old wooden surface that was soft because of the years. He could almost hear how there were so many stories told beside this little bed and maybe even some songs sang.

It was just waiting there, ready to take care of their son. Freed had to swallow hard when he even thought that, trying to picture it in his head.

“What?” Laxus asked alarmed when smelling the tears.

“I love it”, Freed sniffled. “I absolutely love it”, he said hugging Laxus tightly.

“You don’t need to get that sentimental over some old half a barrel”, Laxus said, but he patted Freed’s hair.

“It’s perfect”, the swordsman said with a tiny hiccup.

“So why are you crying?”

“I still find it really hard to believe all this”, Freed confessed wiping off his tears, thought new ones just rolled over right away. “I still feel sometimes when I go to sleep that in the next morning I will wake up and everything was just a lovely dream. Then there would be only unbearable pain left when I have to come back to reality...” he sniffled. “If that would really happen and we would just continue, you coming over to eat breakfast with us since you don’t want to make it yourself, just talking casually and not even aware of my feelings I always tried to bury so deep inside… I just don’t think I would be able to take it, not anymore after this wonderful dream.”

Laxus huffed looking at the trembling man but smiled, kissing Freed’s forehead lovingly. Seriously, this man. This loyal, smart, amazing man who always managed to make him feel himself so loved. He really was lucky.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to wake up to go through something like that”, he reassured hugging Freed. “I promise. So we’re gonna keep that cradle then?” he chuckled, trying to make Freed to calm down.

“And the house”, Freed demanded between his sobs.

“Sure, if you like it. I’m gonna talk with the owner today about it. Come on, I’m gonna take you home, you’re too emotional and I know you would hate me later if I’d let you go to the guild while crying like that.”

“Can we take the cradle too?” Freed asked wiping his eyes and looked at the furniture that was still patiently waiting. Laxus lifted his eyebrow and Freed let out a tiny chuckle. “I know, I’m being ridiculous.”

“You know I’m not gonna carry that thing around just to carry it back here right after.”

“Worth to try”, Freed chuckled and Laxus smiled, pulling his fiancé along with him.


	83. Chapter 83

“Put that down NOW!”

Freed almost dropped the box he was carrying as he got startled by the loud roar from the door of his room. But he recognised that voice and as always, his body was quick to follow his Thunder God’s orders and he put the box on his desk.

“Don’t yell at people like that out of nowhere”, he scolded.

“Then stop doing things you’re not supposed to do and I don’t need to yell at you”, Laxus said irritated and stepped in the room.

They had bought the house and after a few weeks it was now ready for them to move into. The attic had been renovated and there was now room for all Freed’s books and more and it would also work as an office.

As soon as they got the word that everything was ready, they had started packing and now everything was finally ready to just be moved into their new house. They were going to empty the whole house, since Laxus’ place was now free so it was perfect for Bickslow and Ever to share.

Freed was definitely going to miss this house that had served them as their home for so many years already, but he was also excited to live in their new house. He would be even more excited if he was allowed to help with moving the stuff.

Laxus grumbled taking up few boxes full of Freed’s books.

“We agreed that you can help with moving if you won’t carry anything heavy”, he reminded.

“That box was not heavy, there were just my notebooks”, Freed assured.

“Don’t touch any of these boxes in here, we will take care of them with Bickslow and Roscoe”, Laxus said.

“These are my books”, Freed said annoyed.

“Don’t care, don’t touch them! I told you to go ahead to the new house with Ever and Kvestor, but you wanted to stay and look after if we can handle these books. But you are still not allowed to move them around!”

Freed felt a twitch of anger inside him and Laxus narrowed his eyes when he noticed it.

“Before you say anything, I remind you that this is for your own good”, Laxus said before his mate could open his mouth to argue with him. “Do not touch these boxes, that is an order. We will take care of everything so you should just sit down”, he said and stepped outside.

Freed gritted his teeth, trying really hard to calm down the burning anger inside him. He hated it how easily and strongly he reacted nowadays. It was getting really hard to restrain himself when something triggered his mood swings.

Finally he just let out a groan full of frustration and was almost ready to even throw something, no matter how childish and stupid that might be.

“Now now, Sugar”, he suddenly heard Roxanne’s cackle from the door and he looked towards the old woman. “What your man said is true. It’s for your own good”, Roxanne smiled stepping in. “Sit”, she commanded and gave Freed a slight push, making the rune mage sit at the edge of the bed. “And stop being so stubborn. I can see it miles away how you try so hard to keep yourself collected and you don’t want to cause any bother to others.”

“Well, I don’t”, Freed huffed blushing and he felt a little embarrassed that even small old lady could push him off his feet just like that. He was feeling so clumsy and way too big all the time. “Is it that bad?”

“You are just making this too hard for yourself. No one would judge you if you throw a little tantrum now and then”, Roxanne chuckled and she sat on the bed as well. “It might actually make you feel better, Sugar.”

“It would?” Freed asked confused.

“Definitely. You could let out some steam, you’d be surprised how refreshing that feels.”

“Maybe”, Freed sighed.

“Next time you see your dragon, give him a piece of your mind. Yell at him until he trembles under the couch.”

Freed pictured in his head Laxus in his dragon form, hiding under their couch and it made him laugh.

“I don’t believe Laxus would never do that”, he said amused.

“Maybe not about just anything, but if someone could do it, it would be you”, Roxanne cackled.

“I shouldn’t still do it. If I let myself go like that, who knows what I might end up saying. I might have mood swings but it is not a reason good enough to hurt him.”

“He’s a big boy, he can handle it.”

“Maybe”, Freed smiled. “By the way, thank you for coming all the way back here from Naava Town to help us move.”

“Of course, Sugar”, Roxanne said patting Freed’s arm. “I wanted to come talk with Porlyusica anyway so we are happy to help. Speaking of the devil, didn’t you need to see Porlyusica today?”

“Oh no!” Freed yelped and stood up. “I completely forgot about that!”

“You still have plenty of time”, Roxanne chuckled. “If she asks, just be honest and tell her you had so much in your mind with the move.”

“You can’t exactly just tell her that and expect that she would forgive you...”

“Sorry about that”, they heard a cold voice and Freed felt shivers, looking at the old healer. “I did hear some rumours about you and that old fart’s grandson moving in the new house.”

“Uh... Yes, that is true”, Freed nodded, keeping his gaze on the floor. “I was just about to –“

“Shut up, I don’t need your pathetic excuses”, Porlyusica tisked and she stepped inside the room. “Where is Laxus right now?”

“Huh? If he wasn’t downstairs, he must be taking things to the other house”, Freed said.

“Good, I want to talk with you alone.”

“I will go then downstairs and make sure Laxus won’t barge in suddenly”, Roxanne chuckled and he stood up.

“After I have talked with Freed, I have the information you’ve been waiting for”, Porlyusica said.

“How wonderful. Maybe I should start cooking something then, you’re going to join us I hope?”

“No, I came here to just say what I know and return back to my cottage.”

“Suit yourself, Candyfloss”, Roxanne cackled and stepped out of the room, closing the door. Freed froze to his spot looking at Porlyusica and he was scared of what might happen after that kind of a nickname.

But to his surprise, Porlyusica just huffed slightly annoyed and turned towards Freed.

“From now on, I will visit you and Levy every two weeks”, she announced and it surprised the rune mage.

“Can I ask why?” he dared to ask.

“If you really need a reason, it’s because it is getting annoying when I don’t know when you might appear behind my door”, Porlyusica said. “This way I can still do other things too and come see you two when I have time for it.”

Freed smiled. Sure Porlyusica gave that kind of a reason but he knew better. They all knew better. Porlyusica was actually worried. It wasn’t exactly really safe to walk around in that forest and sometimes they might arrive alone. Anything could happen.

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face, you idiot”, the healer snarled annoyed. “And sit down, we have to talk before that toy dragon returns.”

“Alright”, Freed said and he sat down on the bed, while Porlyusica took the chair. “What is it you want to talk about?”

“There isn’t that much time anymore left before the baby will be born”, Porlyusica said. “And I think we should make some arrangements for that.”

“What kind of arrangements?”

“Levy is a woman so that kind of thing happens naturally with her. You’re a man, I think it’s better if we work differently. I’m talking about surgery, it might be the safest way to deliver your baby.”

“Oh”, Freed said. “I did read about that from one of my books. To be honest, I have been worried how everything might go...”

“With surgery, it will be fast and safe. That way we don’t need to deal with possible surprises what this magic might do. I believe everything should go just well even without surgery but it’s better if we won’t take any risks.”

“Thank you for your concern, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled.

“I’m not doing this for you”, Porlyusica said annoyed. “I’m also interested to see if your and Levy’s babies can learn dragon slayer magic so this is purely to make sure my research is not endangered because you couldn’t give birth.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded.

“But we have one huge problem that we need to take care of before anything that.”

“What is it?”

“Laxus. I seriously doubt he would let me do something like that to you. I’m not even sure if he might let anyone near you. We have to either get him away from you or put him in sleep.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, it is. What would you think might happen if he suddenly thinks that we are going to hurt you? How are you going to deliver your baby if there’s no one who can get close enough to help you?”

“I get it”, Freed huffed frowning.

He had never even thought about that… Now that he did, he could see Porlyusica’s point. The way Laxus acted time to time, he wouldn’t most definitely let anyone near when he was so vulnerable. No matter how they would try and reason it to the lightning dragon slayer.

“So what do you suggest?” Freed asked looking at the old woman.

“In the second you start feeling something, we have to get Laxus out of the way”, Porlyusica said. “We have to create something that gets him out of Magnolia. We need Bickslow, Evergreen and Makarov to work with us in this.”

“We might manage to get him out, but what are we going to do when he notices how things are and returns?” Freed asked. “It seems like they can sense that something is wrong and he would return immediately after that.”

“Then we can only try to use magic to keep him away”, Porlyusica said. “Sleep spells might be our best shot, but we can’t know how effective they might be at that moment. We can only try and be quick.”

“Ever and Bickslow can make sure to get Laxus out”, Freed nodded. “Where do you want me to go then?”

“For that I arranged this little thing”, Porlyusica said and took out somekind of a bracelet. “Keep it on, it will give us a warning before things start. We have time to get rid of Laxus and take you to the Guilds infirmary, that’s the best place where I can work in peace.”

Freed took the bracelet and put it on his wrist. It was nothing fancy or anything.

“This should give us enough time”, he said. “But how are we going to make Laxus leave Magnolia?”

“That is your problem, idiot. I’ve already done this much so try to use your head as well.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded. They should talk about this with Makarov, Bickslow and Evergreen. They had to figure out something.

Porlyusica stood up.

“Now that this is done, I’ll go talk with Roxanne”, she said stepping to the door.

“Was that all?” Freed asked confused. “What about the examination?”

“You’re fine. That bracelet tells me immediately if anything is wrong or happening. Right now everything is fine and the baby is healthy.”

“Thank you, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled. “We’re really grateful -”

“I don’t have time for this needless chitchat”, Porlyusica tisked and stepped outside. “Don’t push yourself too much”, he said giving a meaningful glare towards the boxes.

“I won’t”, Freed nodded and the old healer left downstairs.

Freed smiled looking at the bracelet. Everything would work out fine, he was sure of it. He had to meet up with Makarov soon so they could figure what to tell Laxus and how to get him out of Magnolia.

He arranged some things for a while, until he stepped downstairs finally. It seemed like Porlyusica had left and Roxanne was sorting out plates and cups, wrapping them in the newspaper.

“Are you alright?” Freed asked as he noticed a frown on her face.

“Hm? Yes, of course I am”, Roxanne assured.

“You seemed worried”, Freed said. “Was it because what you talked with Porlyusica?”

“Kinda” Roxanne huffed closing the box. “I think I need to talk with Roscoe and Bickslow now. And it’s already time for lunch so maybe we should head to the new house?”

Freed just nodded and since he couldn’t carry anything, they just took their coats and stepped out on the street after locking the door. They walked in silence, Freed being a little bit worried since Roxanne seemed to be in so deep in her thoughts.

Soon they arrived at the new house, where Laxus and Bickslow were fighting to get the arm chairs inside.

“Don’t just pull it like that, we have to turn it”, Laxus said annoyed.

“Turn it and turn it, is that all you can say, baby?” Bickslow snapped. “I’m gonna turn your head so you can sniff your own ass if you say keep saying that!”

“You wanna say that once more?” Laxus snarled with sparks coming out of his hair.

“Laxus is a big dum-dum!” ‘babies’ taunted swirling around them.

Freed rolled his eyes as the two men started a fight. Moving could be really stressful and it wasn’t anything surprising that there would be fights.

“Cut that out you two”, Roxanne said as they stepped through the small gates. “We have still much work to do.”

Freed chuckled looking at Bickslow and Laxus who brushed out some dirt from their clothes and growled something annoyed.

“Where’s Roscoe?” Roxanne asked.

“He’s inside, helping Ever and Kvestor to arrange books”, Bickslow said.

“Go fetch him, I have something I need to talk with you boys”, Roxanne said and they stepped in the house. Bickslow looked at Freed confused, who couldn’t say anything and the seith mage went to the stairs.

Roxanne took out some kitchen accensories they had already brought over and started to make food. Freed helped by peeling the vegetables.

“What is it, Granny?” Roscoe asked as they arrived at the kitchen.

“I just talked with Porlyusica for a while”, Roxanne said while cutting the meat. “She found out some things.”

“Yeah? What is it?” Bickslow asked and Ever sat down with Laxus and Kvestor, following the situation.

“It seems that you two really are brothers”, Roxanne smiled looking at the two men with black and blue hair. “I can’t say that I’m surprised.”

“Wow, that’s great, baby!” Bickslow cackled grabbing Roscoe in tight hug.

“We’re family!” ‘babies’ giggled happily.

“Let go of me, you idiot”, Roscoe snarled annoyed.

“That’s not all”, Roxanne said dropping the pieces of meat in the pot. “It seems you don’t have just same mother, but same father as well.”

“Oh! Isn’t that awesome?” Bickslow grinned looking at Roscoe. But the older man seemed confused and was frowning.

“How is that possible?” Roscoe asked from Roxanne who sighed.

“I don’t know”, she said. “That was all what Porlyusica knew.”

“Do you think we might be able to find father if we tried?” Bickslow smirked to his new found brother.

“Dunno”, Roscoe said. “I don’t know if we should.”

“What? Why shouldn’t we?”

“Are you an idiot?” Roscoe growled. “Try to use your brain at least once and think! Mom met father whoever he is but made sure I would live with Granny and not with them. Then she returned back to father, had you and made sure you didn’t meet him as well. What do you think that might mean, nutcase?”

“Oh… Mom tried to keep us away from dad”, Bickslow finally noticed. “Why?”

“That we don’t know”, Roxanne sighed and Freed put the rest of the vegetables in the pot. “And I’m not sure if we should try to find out the reason.”

“But… Then we will never get any answers”, Bickslow said. “Is that really okay?”

“We can’t just start sniffing around, that man might be dangerous”, Roscoe scolded and he sat down. “Who knows, he might even be looking for us. Though I have no idea why he would do that.”

“And what about that book?” Kvestor said worried. “Maybe he wants that as well?”

“That is what I thought too”, Roxanne huffed and closed the lid after the stew was ready to be put in the oven. “That book must be something really important for someone.”

“But why did mom return back to father if he worked so hard to get Roscoe and that book to Granny?” Bickslow asked confused, but no one could answer.

There was so many questions. Why did everything happen as it happened?

“Do you think that… Mom could be alive?” Bickslow asked looking at Roscoe who sighed.

“No, no I don’t”, he said.

“And she’s not”, Roxanne said. “I’m sorry, boys. I just know that is the case.”

“Do you think it was father who killed her?” Bickslow asked and his voice was angry.

“That is one of the things we just don’t know.”

“We have to find out something! We can’t just leave things like they are right now!”

“Revenge!” the Tiki dolls screamed.

“Calm down, idiot”, Roscoe snorted. “Your yelling doesn’t help anything.”

“Freed, have you yet tried to examine that book?” the seith mage asked looking at Freed.

“I’m afraid not”, he apologised. “It takes time.”

“It’s better if he doesn’t try anything that might be dangerous right now”, Laxus growled. “Better leave that book alone for a while.”

Bickslow looked like he really wanted to argue, but in the end he could do nothing more than just sigh frustrated. There was nothing they could do right now.


	84. Chapter 84

It took time to move all the stuff from their old house to their new one and help Bickslow and Evergreen to set themselves in Laxus’ old place. But finally their house was starting to look like home and Freed was more than happy about it.

Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor headed back to Naava Town when everything had been moved. Freed was wondering himself if they had yet thought more about Makarov’s offer to join Fairy Tail. Bickslow sure hoped it, that was obvious. They too had grown attached to those three, but it was better not to rush their decision. They had to respect what they would finally decide, even if they wouldn’t join Fairy Tail, that didn’t mean they couldn’t visit and see each others.

There was also some news about Lucados that they heard. Apparently Magic Council had found where the old man was but for now they had not managed to catch him. But Freed wasn’t too worried, Lucados knew there was no chance for him to go against them again, not now when they were extra careful not to let him surprise them twice. The whole Guild was aware of his powers and cautious that he might appear again.

For Freed that meant he was forbidden to go outside Magnolia. He was actually fine with it, but what he was not fine with was Laxus shadowing his every step. Where ever he went, he could feel those orange eyes keeping an eye on him all the time.

“You are getting on my nerves”, he announced while going through his books in their attic library and arranging his notes the way he wanted them.

Laxus was lounging on a couch, listening to his music.

“You’ve said that already”, he just said his eyes closed.

“Don’t you have anything else to do? You’re the Master for god’s sake, what about all the paperwork?”

“I asked Mirajane to take care of them. She has helped Gramps for so many years already, she knows what to do.”

“You can’t just delegate all your work to others, that’s not how things work.”

“Oh? I’d say it’s working just fine”, Laxus snickered and Freed rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving everything for Mira, I already did most of the paperwork.”

“I wonder when that happened since you haven’t even been in the Guild at all today”, Freed muttered putting away some binders.

Laxus opened his other eye and looked at the green haired mage, sitting up on the couch.

“Why are you so irritated, Freed?” he asked.

“It might have something to do with the fact that every time I turn around, there you are and all the time you remind me not do whatever I’m doing.”

“I’ve never interrupted when you’re reading”, Laxus said leaning his jaw against the palm of his hand.

“How generous of you.”

“You’re the one who started talking this time, I was just laying here on the couch.”

“You know well what I meant with what I said. If you really don’t have any work to do then why not go find Bickslow and go out for the rest of the evening? Go get drunk or something like you used to do”, Freed snapped.

There was a silence, Laxus looking at his fiancé who kept his eyes on his books.

“You really want to just be alone?” he asked.

“Yes, you should go have fun”, Freed said taking one of the books and opening it. “I’ll be just fine. I’ll do some snacks and just read here, nothing else.”

Laxus huffed and he stood up.

“Alright”, he said, giving a quick peck on Freed’s cheek. “I’ll see you later, babe”, he said and stepped to the stairs.

Freed stubbornly kept his stare in the book, even though he hadn’t even looked what book he took from the shelf. His eyes weren’t even reading the text, he just stood there, not sure was he angry, sad or what.

“Shit...” he silently hissed finally, placing the book back to its place. He was acting ridiculous, again.

He stepped down the stairs, only to hear the door shut and he sighed. Well, he got what he wanted but he wasn’t still happy about it. He was starting to hate this, it’s like he was never satisfied with whatever he did. He wasn’t even sure himself what he wanted. He could only imagine how Laxus might feel…

Freed flinched when he felt a tear rolling on his cheek and down it. No! He had to calm down! There was no reason for him to cry at all. He was disappointed of himself but there was no need to cry because of it!

He was just… Just…

“Aaaarh!” the rune mage yelled finally as he didn’t know anymore what else to do. He was sad, he was furious, he was confused… He wanted to calm down but he couldn’t.

He ended up sitting at the top of the stairs, sobbing heavily and leaning against his knees. He just wanted to cry, damn it. He needed to cry! He would probably die if he couldn’t cry right there right now until he would be too tired to think anymore anything else. He didn’t want to think, since no matter how much he tried he didn’t seem to be able to make any good decisions.

Through his loud sniffles he didn’t even notice the door that opened and closed quickly and steps climbed up the stairs. But he knew it was Laxus. Damn that man, he bet the lightning dragon slayer didn’t even go further than just sitting somewhere on the street and heard his yelling! But it did warm his heart a bit when big arms wrapped around him, pulling him into their embrace.

“You okay?” Laxus asked worried, looking at the trembling man.

“No I’m not, you big jackass!” Freed snarled, feeling a surge of anger again and how Laxus flinched because of it. Good! He deserved to get yelled at! “I’m mad as hell! I’m tired of all this shit! I can’t do anything without all the time having to think twice and still ending up with something nonsense that doesn’t make sense at all!”

“Uh… It’s alright?”

“No it’s not alright you moron!” Freed yelled pushing Laxus’ arms away. “I don’t even know what to think! Everything inside me is just a mess! All the time I’m either too tired or I can’t sleep, or it’s too hot or too cold! Food makes me sick and everything annoys me and I just can’t stand it!” he shouted grasping his green hair. “I want to stay rational and still I end up doing something completely ridiculous and then I feel bad about it!”

Laxus stayed silent, looking at the man who broke down sobbing again, his shoulders trembling. He had to be honest, he had no idea what was going on but he did understand that Freed was stressed. This was one of those bursts Roxanne and others had told might happen. And they had told him it was better to just let Freed let it all out. It would help greatly.

He had to say, he was quite impressed. Freed had managed to come this far and not even once had he snapped like this. Not even close to something like this.

“You’re not ridiculous”, Laxus reassured while Freed sniffled and wiped out tears and snot, getting a hiccup. “You’re doing great, love”, Laxus smiled gently rubbing the smaller man’s back with his hand. 

“Don’t lie to me...” Freed murmured.

“I’m not. Just don’t be so hard on yourself”, Laxus said patting Freed’s head and those lightning bolt cowlicks that looked like they were drooping. “Don’t try to take care of everything all the time and let us take care of you as well. Come on, you look tired. You should go to sleep”, he chuckled kissing Freed’s puffed cheek.

For a second Freed was about to decline just like always and say he was fine. But he really was tired and fighting more was not what he wanted. So he stood up and followed Laxus to their bedroom.

After changing to his pyjama, Freed was pretty glad that he could snuggle against the pillows and pull the blanket over him.

“How can you be like that?” he asked looking at the bigger man who came back to the bedroom after fetching some snacks and a jug of water for night.

“Like what?” Laxus asked confused putting the tray down.

“Doesn’t this feel stupid? I had absolutely no good reason at all to act like that. I don’t even know why I did it, nor what all I said...” he said blushing slightly. Maybe he was just too tired but he really didn’t seem to even remember all the details.

“Doesn’t matter”, Laxus said. “It helps you to feel better. You shouldn’t just bottle everything up and you definitely shouldn’t feel bad because you can’t control your feelings. It’s alright”, he smiled sitting on his own side of the bed.

He took out a book from his night stand.

“Do you want to read this time?” he asked.

“No, you keep reading it”, Freed smiled and he rolled over to lean against his fiancé.

“Okay”, Laxus nodded and opened the book.

Freed smiled when listening Laxus’ voice. This man… The more days passed, no matter how long the time, the more Freed always wondered how there could be a person as amazing as Laxus in this world. And he could stand by his side for the rest of his life. There were so many things they could still do together and not everything would always be easy, but as long as they stayed together he was sure they could overcome everything.

Laxus stopped reading the book of small adventures, when he heard how Freed’s breathing got even and he looked at the rune mage. Freed was already deep sleep, green hair all over the mattress.

“Didn’t even remember to braid your hair, huh?” Laxus huffed and he put down the book. He knew already that Freed would be really pissed in the morning when he had to untangle all that hair. Guess it couldn’t be helped, Laxus didn’t want to take the risk of waking up his resting mate if he tried to braid his hair. All he could do was gather all of it and tie it up with one of the ribbons Freed had left here and there.

Once that was done he pulled Freed closer and shut the light from his night stand.


	85. Chapter 85

As the weeks moved on, Freed got more nervous every day. Everything was fine according to Porlyusica, but… He didn’t remember when was the last time he was scared like this. No matter how much he tried to calm himself and explain that everything would go fine. Of course he believed in Porlyusica, she was highly skilled healer and would not let anything happen.

But it was easier to say not to worry than actually do so.

That day they were just about to enter the Guild House when the doors opened and Ever and Bickslow almost dashed out, surprising them.

“Oh”, Ever said when they noticed them. “Oh! You guys were just coming here!” she said and her voice was high pitched.

“We were just gonna find you guys”, Bickslow said and he too was acting a little bit jumpy, that made Laxus frown.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Next to him, Freed could almost hear how there was alarm bells ringing inside his head.

Bickslow and Ever was supposed to grab and take Laxus away in a second Porlyusica would give them a sign. So this was the moment, huh? Freed felt how his hands suddenly started to tremble and he had to use every bit of his control to keep himself calm. He couldn’t start feeling scared now, Laxus would never leave if he could sniff the fear and concern in Freed.

This wasn’t easy for Bicks and Ever either. It was risky to take Laxus away. When Laxus would realize what was happening, there was absolutely no telling what might happen. But they were the best choices for this mission. They were closest to Laxus after Freed, they had the highest chances to keep him calm.

“Uhm… There’s actually an emergency”, Ever finally managed to blurt.

“Huuuuge emergency!” ‘babies’ shouted. “We have to go!”

“Go where?” Laxus asked confused. “What’s the emergency?”

“We need to go to Yarrow”, Bickslow said.

“Laxus is useful!” the Tiki dolls praised.

“Yarrow?” Laxus frowned. “It would take a whole day to travel there by the train.”

“That’s why we have to leave right now”, Ever said.

“We can send someone else, I’m not gonna leave”, Laxus growled putting his hand on Freed’s hip.

“Uh… We can’t send anyone else”, Bickslow said. “Because it’s an S-class thing and other mages are needed too.”

“So send Erza and her crazy team, I don’t give a shit.”

“But there’s hardly anyone around right now. Mirajane is out and so are Gildarts. Only Erza is here but Natsu and others are on their own missions. She can’t go alone. We are the only choice.”

“You should go”, Freed said looking at his fiancé, doing his very best to keep his voice natural.

“It’s so fucking long trip, it might take days”, Laxus grunted. “I don’t want to go away for that long. What if something happens here?” he asked. He too was well aware how close Freed’s time was and he didn’t want to be away when it would happen. He wanted to support Freed as much as he could. Do anything at all to make him feel better.

“Everything will be fine”, Freed smiled. “You will be back before you know it.”

“We have to leave right away”, Ever said.

“Laxus, they need you”, Freed said. “You must go. Erza can take care of everything while you’re gone and I will help her.”

Laxus let out a long sigh, as he knew he really couldn’t fight against this. It was one of the bad sides of being a Master of a mage guild. If the situation really was severe, they had to take an action right away. Apparently this was one of those moments and he really didn’t have much of a choice.

“Fine”, he finally snarled. “You guys better be ready to leave right away. And you, don’t you dare to set your foot out of this damn town”, he said to Freed who nodded. “I’m gonna ask Gramps to keep an eye on you.”

“That is fine”, Freed assured as they stepped inside the Guild House. There really wasn’t much of a crowd, only some people sitting here and there. Makarov was sitting on a bar counter like usually and they headed there too.

After some talking, goodbyes and a kiss, Laxus finally left the building with Ever and Bicks.

“We actually managed to get him out of the way”, Makarov said amused.

“I have to say I’m surprised”, Freed chuckled.

“Porlyusica is already at the infirmary. You should go there. I will make sure you two have all the peace you need. I have already made sure that most of the kids have missions so they are away.”

“Thank you very much, Makarov”, Freed smiled.

“Just make sure my great-grandson will be alright”, Makarov smiled and Freed nodded.

“I will do my very best”, the green haired man said and stepped on the stairs.

He walked through the hallway and finally saw Porlyusica, standing next to one of the doors.

“Finally you got here, I started to think you were going to have your baby at your house”, Porlyusica tisked annoyed.

“It took a little bit time to convince Laxus that he really had to go”, Freed said. “And I can’t exactly move around really quickly anymore.”

“I can guess that. Go inside then, let’s see what the situation is”, Porlyusica said and Freed stepped in one of the rooms. It was better to have their own room for this.

Freed sat down on the bed after taking off his coat. Porlyusica put her hand on his mark and there was silence for a while.

“Everything is alright and there is no reason why we can’t do the surgery”, she finally said and Freed felt how hi heart jumped. “But we still have to wait. It’s better if we wait until evening.”

“Why?” Freed asked confused.

“So that Laxus is as far as possible, you idiot”, Porlyusica tisked hitting Freed’s head with her hand. Well, it was more like a pat really. “Once we start and he feels something, he will use his lightning to return and it won’t take long before he’s here.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded.

“It will take around ten minutes for me to get your baby out. Then I will use magic and make sure the wound will heal properly after I stitch it up. It will take some time before it heals completely, you have to stay here in the infirmary few days and I will make sure everything is alright with you and your son.”

“Thank you, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled.

“Stop babbling and try to relax now. You can walk around but do not leave the infirmary”, Porlyusica said with an adamant tone. “And keep that bracelet on, so I know if something happens. If you start feeling pain, take support or stay in your bed. Because if your contractions start, you’re going to hurt more than you ever have”, she assured and Freed gulped.

“What if it starts before evening?” he asked.

“Then it can’t be helped. We have to start the surgery because I’m pretty sure Laxus will notice what’s going on in a second you feel your first contraction.”

“What about Laxus?”

“We will deal with him when the time comes. Remember, stay here”, the old healer said before she left the room.

Freed sighed and just sat on his bed, trying to find a good position against the pillows.

 

Bickslow and Ever were looking at their boss who was sitting on his own place in the train, listening his music and keeping his eyes shut. This was the first time in a long time since he had to travel without Freed’s calming scent.

“What are we gonna do when we arrive at that town?” Bickslow whispered when it had already been four hours of travelling and Laxus hadn’t said even a word.

“I don’t know”, Ever sighed. “I kinda hope Laxus will leave before that but also don’t so Freed has more time...”

“If he leaves before we arrive, we don’t need to come up with something. He will get suspicious if there’s no real emergency.”

“More like furious”, Ever muttered worried. “Do you really think he will be just a little bit annoyed when he realizes we dragged him away from Freed for nothing?”

“You’re right, baby. What do you suggest?”

“That we should really pray that everything goes well”, Ever huffed.

Their journey continued and they hardly spoke. Laxus stayed silent and ignored everything around him, making Ever and Bickslow more nervous. They could only hope that Laxus was too concentrated to not get nauseous so he wouldn’t pay too much attention to notice just how nervous they were.

Ever looked at the clock and frowned. It was finally six and it was starting to get dark outside. The train was still moving and they wouldn’t arrive at Yarrow for another hour. She was wondering if Porlyusica would soon start the surgery…

Suddenly Laxus’ eyes almost bolted open and it startled his team mates.

“Laxus?” Ever said, looking at the blond man. He looked like he was stunned, but there were also great amount of fear and excitement in his orange eyes.

But it all changed into a great amount of anger very quickly.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left”, he growled and the air was tingling, making other passengers scared.

“O-oh… Is something wrong, baby?” Bickslow asked timidly.

“I don’t give a fuck what the situation is, I’m going back”, Laxus just said and stood up, walking towards the door.

“Laxus”, Bickslow said but Ever silenced him quickly.

“Let him go”, she said. “We can hold him here even if we wanted. They still have time, no matter how fast he goes with his lightning.”

“Yeah”, Bicks huffed. “Porlyusica said that even twenty minutes is enough...”

They shivered when a loud thunder shook the train. Most of the passengers got startled and panicked, so Ever and Bickslow did their best to calm them down. Laxus was on his way. Once they would arrive, they should buy new tickets right away and return as well.

 


	86. Chapter 86

Laxus gritted his teeth as the ground moved so fast it was just flashes of different areas. The golden lightning travelled through the air, leaving a lingering echo of thunder as it flew over the grounds.

What was the situation? Did something go wrong? Was Freed alright? Laxus growled and did his best to raise his speed as he was heading towards Magnolia. He wasn’t sure what was going on, he could only tell that everything was not alright. The lightning dragon slayer charged more power the more worried he got and it felt like he wasn’t moving fast enough no matter what.

It felt like an eternity before he finally spotted the familiar town that had been his home his whole life. Laxus growled, bolted once more forward and could see the Guild House.

Crashing lightning shot down on the yard, shaking the whole building and burning the grass. He knew Freed was still here. He had to go inside immediately. But when Laxus took one step, the whole surroundings started to waver and he felt his step shaking.

“What the fuck?” he snarled dropping on his knees.

“We’re truly sorry, Laxus. But we cannot let you enter just yet.”

Laxus lifted his burning gaze and looked at the four demons that stood there perfectly still while everything else moved and changed colours.

“What’s going on?” he asked narrowing his eyes.

“We won’t attack you if you stay put”, Umanor said as they were standing in front of the doors. “We don’t want to hurt you but if that is necessary to make sure Freed will be alright, we will do it.”

“You better get the fuck out of my way or you’re gonna feel sorry”, Laxus growled and the air crackled dangerously with the huge amount of electricity.

“We’ll let you through in a second when we get the sign”, Valdeghar assured. “But not a moment before that. You might be Freed’s mate but we will stop even you if that is necessary.”

“Where’s Freed?!” Laxus roared his voice full of anger.

“There is no need to be worried, Porlyusica is taking care of him”, Umanor assured and others nodded. “But you cannot enter, you might endanger everything. Calm yourself, Laxus. You only need to wait for a short while.”

Laxus snarled and did his best to get up, but then it felt like the ground started moving in a very same manner as if he was on a boat. It made him immediately nauseous and he had to lean against his arms, trying to breathe and he felt cold sweat.

“Good job, Moranga”, Umanor said and the tiny demon chuckled moving his hands that were covered with pink gloves. “This way we just might be able to keep him out without any fighting.”

Laxus tried to breathe and stay calm. His instincts were screaming for him to go find Freed, but he couldn’t even move his finger or concentrate enough to use his magic. He had no idea how much time passed as he was just trying to not throw up or lose his mind.

Suddenly everything returned back to normal and he almost collapsed when he didn’t need to fight against the nausea anymore. He panted and lifted his gaze but all four demons had already disappeared. What the hell was going on here?

He didn’t have time to think about that. He got up on his still shaky legs, stumbling ahead and finally grabbed the door handles. The doors opened with a loud bang as they hit the walls and Laxus looked around. There was no one in the Hall. Not that he cared, he just headed towards the stairs right away following where Freed’s scent was.

The blond man stopped when he noticed Porlyusica standing in the hall.

“Everything is fine, you moron”, she said bluntly. “Don’t look like you’re about to kill someone.”

“Where’s Freed?” Laxus growled with a low voice, really doing his best so he wouldn’t lose it.

“He is here, waiting already”, Porlyusica said opening the door and stepped out of the way.

It was almost like some spell was suddenly cast over Laxus as his anger disappeared just like that. Instead he was feeling slightly confused and almost scared to move.

“This here is a door, you walk through it, get inside”, Porlyusica instructed.

“Shut up, you old hag!” Laxus snarled annoyed and blushed.

“If you know what to do then do it! I don’t have time to just stand here and wait what you might do!”

Laxus grumbled something and stepped to the door and really tried to hide how nervous he was right now. Was everything really alright? He could smell Freed’s scent, it was calm which was a good thing. There was also… A new scent. Something he almost knew but still didn’t. Something that made his heart race and he stepped inside the room.

Laxus moved the curtain and looked at Freed who was leaning against pillows on the bed. Green hair was tied up in a ponytail, he had a pyjama on and then there was…

“Hello, Laxus”, Freed chuckled looking at the taller man who stood there stunned. If only Laxus could see himself right now.

“Are you alright?” Laxus asked stepping beside the bed.

“I’m fine, everything went really smoothly and Porlyusica gave me lots of medicine to endure the pain”, Freed said.

He smiled looking at the small bundle he had in his arms. It was still hard to believe this was real. It felt more like a dream. But he was hurting enough so he knew this was reality.

“He’s here”, Freed chuckled moving the blanket and they heard a small, unhappy voice as the peaceful moment had been disturbed.

Laxus smirked widely looking at that wrinkly face, how his son was looking so serious when trying to see the new figure that had appeared.

“He’s alright?” Laxus asked gently touching the soft golden tuft of hair on the little forehead.

“He is”, Freed assured with a smile. “He’s very energetic. Do you want to hold him?”

“Can I?” Laxus asked almost dumbfounded looking at his fiancé.

“Of course”, Freed said amused and helped Laxus a little bit until he was holding the baby right way. “He’s not even scared. He must know you already.”

“Dunno, but it’s a good thing if one of us isn’t scared to death”, Laxus laughed sitting down at the edge of the bed. “Wow. He really has your eyes.”

“You think so?” the rune mage smiled. “How nice, I didn’t need to go through all that just to hear how he doesn’t resemble me at all.”

“He looks grumpy”, Laxus smirked.

“Seems like he did get something from you too”, Freed chuckled. He sneered as he tried to change his position slightly and Laxus got instantly worried.

“What is it?” he asked quickly.

“Nothing, it’s just not easy to move when you’ve been cut open less than half an hour ago…”

“Should I get Porlyusica?”

“No need. She has already done everything she can. Now I just have to rest few days. She said we are not allowed to leave infirmary in that time.”

“Good, I don’t want anything happen to you”, Laxus said. “Or Felix. Strange, I thought babies would cry more”, he said amused, looking how Felix was trying to grab a hold of his blanket with his tiny chubby fingers.

“You have literally sat there only few minutes. Don’t worry, that time will come. Especially when it’s night and the diaper needs to be changed. I’m so happy that you will be there then, as it’s your job for the next two weeks.”

“When did I promise something like that?” Laxus asked.

“What? You seriously thought that I have forgotten about your punishment?” Freed smirked deviously. “When you had to leave because of your mission but before that you told everyone about our engagement even though we had promised not to tell anyone? I still have that paper where you clearly state that I should think up a punishment for you.”

“Oh...” Laxus muttered. Damn! He had forgotten it already.

“I just waited for the perfect moment”, Freed chuckled. “So that will be it. For the first two weeks when Felix cries at night it will be you who goes to see what’s wrong.”

“I guess I have no choice then”, Laxus snorted. “Fine, you trickster”, he smiled giving Freed a kiss. Of course he would do that so the rune mage could rest more.

They sat there for a while, until they heard a knock from the door. It was already starting to get dark outside and for a moment they had even forgotten they were at the Guild.

Makarov stepped inside with a smile on his face.

“How is everything?” he asked.

“You just couldn’t wait a little longer, huh?” Laxus said with amusement.

“I could, but didn’t want to. Can I see him too?” Makarov smiled as he stepped next to the bed.

“Of course”, Freed said and when the old man was set on the chair, he gave Felix over.

“Now this brings back memories”, the former Master chuckled fondly. “He looks so much like Laxus, but with turquoise eyes. In the same time it feels like it was only yesterday, but still so long time ago.”

“That makes no sense, Gramps”, Laxus muttered.

“And I’m happy to see you’re calm again too, Laxus. I was worried if Umanor and others might be able to hold you down. They were really kind to offer their help.”

“I still don’t get it why they stopped me.”

“So you wouldn’t attack Porlyusica or cause something else”, Freed explained. “You are well aware of the fact that you are a hothead and when worried, you still can’t handle your instincts completely”, Freed reminded and Laxus grumbled something annoyed but had to agree. “After all, this was a situation we had never been in before, far more different than anything we could imagine so we just wanted to be sure nothing might happen, no matter how small the chances.”

“Guess you got a point there”, Laxus said. “But I’m still pissed.”

“I’m sorry about that”, the green haired man chuckled and looked how Makarov flinched as he lost few strands from his beard.

“He really has a strong hold”, the old man guffawed scratching his face.

“Don’t let him eat your dirty face shit, old geezer”, Laxus snarled.

“Who are you calling dirty, you brat? I happened to take really good care that my beard wouldn’t scare Felix!”

“Pfft, not even ten barrels of beer would make that face less unpleasant to look at.”

Freed just smiled and took his son as two older Dreyars started to argue loudly.

“Isn’t your family just wonderfully mad?” he chuckled as Felix yawned. “Yes, I’m tired too. That’s alright, you have time to conquer the world after some sleep. There are still lots of people who want to meet you, as you too belong to their precious family.”

After a while Makarov left them alone so they could rest in peace. Felix was already deep asleep next to Freed and the rune mage was just staring out of the infirmary’s window.

“Ten years”, he said.

“What?” Laxus asked confused and he was still sitting on the edge of the bed, just admiring his sleeping son.

“That’s what Porlyusica said it would take and the mating season would hit once again.”

“Oh, didn’t even remember that.”

“Well, I do remember it. And do you know what I’m thinking?” Freed asked.

“No?”

“I’m thinking that I am going to use my strongest runes, bind you down and then I am going to run like the wind all the way to the other side of the world”, Freed smiled. “Just so you know.”

“Let’s hope that will work”, Laxus laughed kissing his mate.


	87. The Last Chapter

“I... Got… Your nose!”

Felix didn’t much care, staring at the seith mage whose grin slowly faded.

“Huh? Did I snatch your sense of humor as well?” he asked and Ever snickered.

“Felix is not amused by your childish pranks”, she chuckled. “He’s already smarter than you are.”

“Asuka always giggles when I do that to her!”

“She’s just pitying you, that’s why.”

“Or maybe Felix got more grumpiness from his dad than we even thought”, Bicks suggested.

“That is definitely possible”, Ever nodded.

“Peekaboo!” ‘babies’ chirped happily when hovering over Felix, making him jolt and look at them.

Freed smiled looking how Bickslow and Ever were trying to make Felix laugh, but didn’t succeed. It had been two weeks now, they were home and everything was fine. At first Freed and Laxus both had been kinda lost, not sure if anything they were doing was right, but after a few mistakes they started to finally get a hang of it. They got more confident and learned new things constantly.

“Bickslow”, Freed finally said after putting away rest of the dishes, since they had lunch just a moment ago. “Felix is only two weeks old. He doesn’t even see you clearly yet. Babies don’t laugh until they are around four months old. It will still take weeks before he will even smile.”

“You’re kidding?” Bickslow said astonished.

“I’m not”, Freed smiled stepping beside the basket where Felix was lying while in the living room. “He’s starting to recognize you and Ever in maybe three months if you visit often.”

“I really don’t care much about babies but he is just too adorable little sugar cube”, Ever chuckled letting Felix wrap his tiny fingers around her own.

“Not gonna start thinking getting more serious with Elfman?” Bickslow cackled.

“No way. We’re definitely not ready for something like this.”

She smiled when one of her brown strands was fascinating Felix, as he observed the hair with his fingers and mouth.

“That is not a good idea”, Freed scolded softly and took the strand of hair from his son.

“Yeah, you might accidentally pull the wrong rope and she will explode like a bomb!” Bickslow smirked spreading out his arms.

“Boom!” his Tiki dolls giggled and Ever huffed.

“That is not even funny”, she said. “How is Laxus handling everything by the way?”

“He’s doing good”, Freed assured. “He’s tired and so am I but everything is going great. And I’m sure it will get at least a little bit easier now that I can finally move around again how I want.”

“If you ever need more help, we can always help as well”, Bickslow smiled.

“Thank you”, Freed chuckled. “Now that we have eaten, maybe we should finally head to the Guild?” he smiled to Felix. “It’s your first time going out too, you’re going to be amazed.”

They had stayed at home for the first two weeks and Freed too was pretty excited to return back to the Guild. Of course others had seen Felix when they were in the infirmary for the first three days, but after that they had decided to take time and enjoy their time just the three of them.

Bickslow and Evergreen waited while Freed made sure they had everything they needed and Felix was properly dressed so he wouldn’t get cold. Then they could finally start their journey, Bickslow taking the bag that was full of necessary stuff and Freed took the basket with its precious content.

On their way they were greeted by lots of people in their neighbourhood. Laxus had been well known before, but now that he was the Master of Fairy Tail it seemed like everyone knew him. Of course word spread around quickly how there was a new Dreyar in town.

Not all people were understanding. Freed had noticed this long time ago but decided to ignore gossips and badmouthing. Fortunately those people were minority and he knew that they would stop after time. He just hoped that Felix wouldn’t need to ever feel like he should be ashamed of their very unusual little family.

Freed smiled as they arrived at the Guild and opened the doors, stepping inside. They were noticed immediately and greeted, many coming over to see Felix who was just confused why there was such a hassle around.

Laxus was sitting in one of the tables while going through some papers with Erza. He smiled when looking at his mate and how people were swarming around him and their son, asking questions and cooing over Felix.

“We can continue later”, Erza smiled packing all the papers in the binder. “We have already spend the whole morning with papers, we deserve a break.”

“Yeah, you’re right”, Laxus nodded and the scarlet haired mage stood up.

Finally the Thunder Legion was able to get to the table as well and Freed set the basket on the table.

“Hey, you guys”, Laxus said. “I was starting to get worried.”

“It took some time to make sure we had everything we needed”, Freed smiled. “Looks like the journey made him already sleepy”, he chuckled, when Felix was in deep sleep. “Seems like he won’t get easily scared even if there are so many people around.”

“He’s a brave boy”, Laxus smirked proudly. “Was it peaceful to walk here?”

“Yes. Some people greeted us and wanted to see Felix but otherwise nothing big happened.”

“Everybody adores him”, Ever hummed with a smile. “He’s the most admired man in Fairy Tail right now.”

“Damn right he is”, Laxus said. 

“Well, since you’re both here and we have time, what about if we talk about the wedding of you two?” Ever suddenly said. “You promised I can take care of the decorations so help you god if you’re not keeping your word.”

“We are not planning to take that joy from you”, Freed chuckled.

“We have so much to do we really should start early”, Ever smiled. “So when is the big day?”

“Dunno”, Laxus said crossing his arms.

“Seriously, you have to decide the day already!”

“Ever, there is no rush”, Freed smiled.

“I know, but do you have any idea how much time it takes to make all the decorations and foods and such!”

“Don’t yell, you’ll wake up Felix”, Laxus grunted.

“We have our hands full when Felix is this small and Laxus has to work as a Master”, Freed explained. “We don’t have time for wedding.”

“You only need to set the day, we can take care of the rest”, Bickslow grinned.

“No”, Laxus said. “We’re not having the wedding yet and that’s that.”

“But -”

“No.”

Ever and Bickslow looked at each other and sighed. When Laxus and Freed got like this, there was no way they could change their minds. So guess the wedding just had to wait for a year or two, until those two were feeling like it was the right time.

They ended up talking other things, when the doors opened suddenly. Gajeel stepped in, looking annoyed as hell and Lily followed him concerned. Laxus frowned when the raven haired dragon slayer locked his eyes with him and started walking towards them. Because such a anger filled expression, Freed felt a twitch of protectiveness and grabbed Felix on his arms. Dragon slayers were still unpredictable when there was mates involved and clearly Gajeel wasn’t happy that he couldn’t stand by his.

Laxus stood up blocking Freed’s view with his large body and dark coat.

“You got some problem with me, snot covered nose piercing?” he growled and the air crackled slightly.

“Huh? You’re the one who called me over!” Gajeel snarled annoyed. “What the fuck is that damn important that I had to come here right away?”

“I called?” Laxus asked confused. “Who said that?”

“Porlyusica!”

“Oh”, Freed said his eyes widened. “Laxus, remember what Porlyusica said about Gajeel. Since she is with Levy right now...”

“I don’t remember”, Laxus grunted.

“You should listen to other people more. We have to keep Gajeel away.”

“Porlyusica said that?” Laxus asked and Freed nodded.

Right after that there was a loud whack and Gajeel was lying on the floor. Others had gathered around and Laxus just huffed rubbing his fist that had knocked out the iron dragon slayer.

“That should do it”, he said.

“We were supposed to take him somewhere on a mission!” Evergreen scolded.

“Who cares, the main thing is that he wont’ interrupt while Porlyusica is delivering the baby.”

“But he might not stay out that long”, Bickslow reminded with snickers, looking at unconscious Gajeel. Poor guy would have a major headache after that hit.

“Babe”, Laxus said looking at the table where his mate was seated. “Do you think you can handle it?”

“Of course”, Freed smiled and stood up.

He raised his fingers and wrote enchantments. It wasn’t the first time he had to do it against dragon slayers. He had to be extra careful to make the cage strong, so Gajeel couldn’t get out. Laxus made sure that Gajeel didn’t wake up while Freed spend a whole hour making the dragon slayer proof trap.

Just when Freed was done, the doors opened once again and Porlyusica appeared with Levy.

“I want everyone out!” the pink haired old woman yelled. “Only Freed and Laxus can stay since Freed has to make sure Gajeel can’t get out to interrupt anything and Laxus makes sure he is not harmed when the trap needs to be removed finally.”

All the guild members looked at each other, but none of them dared to question Porlyusica’s words. So they started to leave one after another while Porlyusica and Levy headed straight towards the infirmary.

After a while, there was just the four of them in the big Hall.

“I hope everything will go well”, Freed said and Felix was just sleeping soundly against him.

“Porlyusica will make sure nothing happens”, Laxus said sitting down next to his mate. “We just have to wait.”

Hours went by and it was finally starting to get dark. Gajeel had woken up but after finally accepting the fact that he couldn’t get out, he was sulking and staring at the stairs.

Freed was leaning against Laxus in light sleep, while the lightning dragon slayer was just staring somewhere deep in his thoughts. Felix was also sleeping in his basket, dreaming about a milk bottle.

Freed jolted awake when they heard steps and he straightened himself, wiping off some drool from his chin. They looked at Porlyusica who approached them.

“Everything is fine”, she said to Gajeel. “You can go look at them if you want.”

Freed stood up as they had planned and he followed Laxus to the doors. It was just for the caution, to stay away Gajeel’s way as much as possible and once they were outside, Freed let the trap drop. They could hear how the dark haired man dashed towards the stairs right away.

The rune mage smiled.

“I’m really happy for him”, he said walking beside his fiancé who was holding the basket.

“Yeah, good that everything went well”, Laxus said and kissed Freed softly. “You look really tired after putting up such a trap, you need some sleep.”

“Felix has been sleeping almost the whole day, you really think he will sleep during the night?” Freed chuckled.

“Let’s give him some cough medicine, that should knock him out.”

“ _Laxus_!”

“I’m kidding!”

“You better be! If I ever catch you doing something like that -”

“I wont! Sheesh, calm down”, Laxus snorted. “Like hell I would do something like that. I don’t want to get killed by you”, he smirked.

“I would do so much more than just kill you”, Freed smiled.

“I can guess. I won’t push my luck with that. You can be one hell of a protective mom if you want”, Laxus said amused.

“You don’t know even half of it yet. Are you really okay with us moving our wedding?”

“For the last time, yes. Don’t worry about it, babe. I know why you want to do that, I’m also tired all the time it would just make us more stressed and tired. I don’t want our wedding to be something exhausting and stressful.”

“It’s going to be something like that either way”, Freed chuckled. “But at least in few years we could have some more time when Felix is older.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait for that”, Laxus smirked kissing his lovely mate.

They continued their journey towards their house. It really was a peaceful evening and they just knew that Felix would give them hard time probably through all night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow… It really is over. Feels weird. I feel like wanting to cry T^T  
> It has been a wonderful journey! I’ve learned so much new stuff and I hope I’ve gotten better with my writing ^^ And I can’t believe how much support I’ve gotten from all of you amazing readers! I love you guys!! You are the best!  
>  I also want to thank my dear old friend who has helped me the whole time by reading my chapters through before I update them. I love you my dear little blueberry muffin!!  
>  Seriously, thank you all of your comments and votes, those really gave me strenght to continue writing even when there were times I felt like ‘fuck this shit I’m gonna go buy ice cream and then getting drunk!’ (you my fellow authors know this feeling, it sucks). ALWAYS tell the author that you like their stories, that is the only way they can know they’re doing a good job! That keeps them motivated and willing to do their best! And if possible, tell them why you like their stories :D  
>  I promised to tell you guys about the next book that will continue this story after a little time skip ^^ Well, the name of that book will be…
> 
> Five Little Sacrifices
> 
> Good name? Bad name? Doesn’t matter, I’m keeping it x’D We are going to find out more about Bickslow’s family just like I promised! I have tons and tons of ideas, and unlike in this story I actually have a plot straight from beginning! I really hope I can see you guys in there as well, commenting and voting or at least reading it ^^ I’m not sure when I will start publishing it, but soon. Give me a week or two time ^^  
>  Okay so that should be all. Thank you so much! I love you my precious little chocolate chip cookies! *throws kisses all around for everyone * Oh and if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer those ^^


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